The Celestial and the Princess
by ROTHEM
Summary: Marco is not like any other kids in echo creek, more specifically in the entire universe. This is most likely due to Marco being a half celestial. So what happens when a half celestial who is learning to control his extraordinary powers meets the rebel princess of mewni who is also learning to control the wand?
1. The Celestials

The Celestials, one of the oldest and most mysterious races in the multiverse. Beings so ancient, some believe they predated Glossaryck, the Magic High Commission, and even the dawn of magic itself. While they look like any human or mewman, it's what's underneath that sets them apart. Capable of channeling vast psionic powers and able to manipulate matter on an atomic level, the Celestials stand among the most powerful entities in existence.

As the beings of the multiverse began to grow and develop their civilizations, many Celestials began to take an interest in them. They would watch over them and help to guide them in the right direction, with some even choosing to interact with them directly. Their role in spurring the development of civilizations, Mewni included, led to people to begin worshipping them as gods. Sadly, this was not to last, and one day, these beings began to disappear. Their departure greatly disheartened the people who revered them; what had they done wrong? Eventually, the Celestials seemed to vanish from the multiverse, with no clue as to why.

In truth, just as some people saw them as gods, others envied the Celestials for their power. People began to believe if they had children with a Celestial, that child could inherit their cosmic energy. Some became so desperate that they resorted to deception and manipulation to create a child capable of using their powers.

Thankfully, none of these attempts seemed to succeed, but the damage remained.

Realizing how others could try and use their powers for evil, the Celestials chose to go into hiding. Some even went so far as to erase their memories and live amongst the civilizations they helped build. Time passed, and the Celestials began to fade into myth and legend. Those who do remember them still don't know what happened to these god-like beings, not even the Magic High Commission. The truth behind their disappearance would have remained a secret, were it not for the day a certain princess from Mewni got sent to Earth. What she found there, and the boy at the center of it would change not only her life but the multiverse forever.


	2. star comes to earth part1

Marco Diaz wasn't like any teen in Echo Creek, California. Scratch that, he wasn't like anyone in the multiverse. Marco's what people would call a hybrid if they knew what he was. His mother, Angie Diaz, was a normal human woman. His father, though, was a being known as a Celestial. According to his dad, that meant he was a half-Celestial, unlike anything that's ever existed. Despite inheriting his dad's cosmic genes, Marco had the appearance of a standard, 14-year old Hispanic-American. He was of medium height, a slender build from years of exercise, tan skin, dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a mole on his right cheek. His go-to fashion choices consist of a light gray shirt, a red hoodie, dark gray skinny jeans, and olive and white sneakers.

Sadly, Marco grew up never knowing his mother, who died giving birth to him, though his father said she was like an angel, kind and beautiful. Despite losing his wife, his father, Rafael Diaz, never let the sadness take him down, showering his son with enough love and kindness for both him and his late wife. When he was old enough to understand, Marco started to learn about his heritage and his latent powers from his dad, though in truth, he had very little need to use it yet. Beyond a cosmic awareness, letting him know of other dimensions and the enhanced intelligence that came from his heritage, Marco saw no need to tap into his latent powers. That was probably for the best since his dad told him his skills would come to him as he got older.

One would think having phenomenal cosmic power would make his life awesome 24/7. At this very moment, though, nothing could be further from the truth, as Marco was stuck in his least favorite class in school.

**_"_****_MATH IS SOOOO BORING"_** Marco thought in irritation. "_Man, you'd think that being able to bend reality and turn a soda can into my favorite food would make my life exciting. But noooo, because I have to put up with these dumb classes"_. Usually, a teen would have been having difficulty with something like math, primarily when the dreaded Ms. Skullnick teaches it. Thanks to Marco's Celestial-boosted intelligence, though, the experience felt like the equivalent of learning one plus one.

As he sat there pretending to write down notes (he was doodling), Marco thought _"I don't like to brag, but this stuff's too easy for me. Just once, I wish something exciting would happen to me"_. Marco's line of thoughts was interrupted when the PA system spoke up, " Marco Diaz, please come to the principal's office."

Smiling, Marco stood up from his seat standing in front of the class, "Oooooh... looks like someone's in trouble. So, I guess everyone who voted me 'Safest Kid' must be feeling pretty embarrassed right about now, huh?" Marco said while sliding over to Miss Skullnick's desk, "Do I need a hall pass?"

"Would you just go already?!" Miss Skullnick angrily yelled as she resumed painting her toenails.

Knowing better than to make his teacher angrier, Marco jumped from the yell before running out of the classroom.

Marco made his way to the Principal's Office, where saw Principal Skeeves holding what appeared to be a chest, along with a blonde-haired girl with heart marks on her cheeks and carrying some sort of purple toy, looking around as if everything was new to her.

"Marco! I want you to meet our new foreign exchange student, Star Butterfly," The Principal said.

Marco looks over to see Star cautiously approach a water fountain. She slowly pressed the button on the top, and when water comes out of the spout, he saw her back away in fear and growl at it.

"Huh?" Marco says with a look of confusion.

"I need a responsible, never-take-chances type to keep an eye on her, and who better than you, the safe kid?" The Principal said.

"What?! No-no-no-no! I am completely wrong for this. I'm a misunderstood bad boy," Marco said, waving his arms around in protest.

The Principal pinches Marco's cheek, "You're adorable! Now I'm off to the ice cream shop. Daddy's getting all 52 flavors!" He said before walking off.

As he left, Marco looked back at this new girl he was just given responsibility for and saw her gnawing on the water fountain. _"Okay, so she may be a little weird, but I'm not normal either. Maybe today will be interesting for once"_, Marco thought as he approaches the girl.

Marco thought it would be a good idea to show Star around the school, so he proceeded to bring this new girl on tour around the school. As Marco walked around trying to teach her everything, Star just skipped around like a child, staring at everything in wonder.

After some walking quietly, Star finally broke the silence: "Thanks for showing me around, safe kid."

"What? No!" Marco said as he stopped walking.

"Ohhh…" Star quickly got distracted as she kept looking at other things.

"Look, whatever you heard about me isn't true, I don't know where people get the idea I'm so safe! Oh, watch your step. Loose tile," Marco said, pointing out a tile. "It's ridiculous! Careful," as he closed a locker she was about to hit. You wear a full set of body armor out of boredom on the bus one time, and you're labeled for life! Oops. Broken glass," Marco grabbed Star and pushed her around the glass, "Frankly, I love taking risks and would gladly welcome a little more danger in my life."

Hearing what Marco said, Star paused, and then with her smile, proceeded to wave the object she was carrying in her hand. In a flash, she turned an ordinary butterfly nearby into a screeching, monstrous version of it. With a howl, it picked up a nearby student and flew away as the poor student screams in terror.

Marco stood there in shock, looking at where the monster and the student just were. After his brain finished processing what he saw, all he could say was, "What the heck was that?!"

"Oops. Heh. I thought you wanted a little danger," Star said.

"Who are you?" Marco asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm a magical princess from another dimension!" Star said, twirling around as she created a rainbow above her, making several cute creatures appear before the rainbow suddenly caught fire.

Upon hearing this, Marco was shocked. _"Magic? It couldn't be. If that's true, then why would someone, much less a princess from another dimension, come to Earth of all places?"_ Marco asked himself as he got deep in thought.

While Marco is already aware of the existence of other dimensions, magic was a whole different matter. Marco's father explained that unlike most dimensions, Earth remained the only one that hadn't discovered the existence of magic yet. Even with all of Earth's advancement in technology, it was still referred to by other dimensions as a BACKWATER. Because of this, people from different dimensions tended to avoid Earth altogether, which made it an ideal place for a Celestial to stay.

Marco was deep in thought when the princess spoke up with a worried tone, "Um ... Are you okay? You've been awfully quiet for a while". Upon hearing this, Marco was pulled from his line of thoughts. "Huh? Oh! I am so sorry about that. I just happened to remember something else, hehe." Marco chuckled to ease the princess.

"So, I guess we should head on over to my house. Since I'm your guide, me and my dad might as well host you as an exchange student." Marco stated. Star perked up instantly upon hearing this " Really!? Thank you so much, Marco!". "Heh, it's no biggie now let's go," Marco answered.

As the two teenagers left the school and made their way to his house (with the fire starting to spread behind them), Marco thought, _"__Perhaps this day will be exciting after all"._


	3. star comes to earth part 2

Before Star and Marco arrived at the Diaz house, he and Star got to talking as he learned more about her and where she came. Apparently, Star is the Crown Princess to the Kingdom of Mewni in the dimension of Mewni. A few days ago, she had inherited her family's heirloom, the Royal Magic Wand. Anyone using it could perform unheard feats of magical skill. It also happened to be the toy-like thing that Star had been carrying around. _"I wonder how strong their magic is compared to the power of a Celestial?"_ Marco thought before making a mental note to ask his dad what he knew about Mewni.

The reason she was on Earth was due to an apparent lack of magic. Her parents thought that made it an ideal place for Star to practice with her wand without destroying everything. As Star just demonstrated at school, she tended to be reckless and not think things through.

No wonder they chose Earth of all places, Marco thought as he remembered the butterfly monster.

"So, is it true that you set fire to your kingdom after you got the wand?" Marco asks Star. "Yeah, even though it was a complete accident," Star answers with an embarrassed look on her face. "Well, Earth is still a lot better than St. Olga's," Star said as she quickly shuddered after saying that name.

"St Olga's?" Marco repeated in a questioning tone.

"Well, St. Olga's is-"Before Star could finish, though, Marco interrupted. "You know what, why don't you save that story for another time since we're already here." Sure enough, the pair had just gotten to the front lawn of the Diaz house. "Daaad! are you in here?" Marco called out as the two entered through the front door.

"I'm over here, mijo" a voice called out from the backyard. Rafael was currently working on a painting of a woman in the backyard. "Marco, last time I checked, you still have an hour of school left," Rafael said as he turned around to head inside.

Even though he was a full Celestial, Rafael Diaz had the appearance of a Hispanic human, complete with dark brown hair, brown eyes, a thin short black mustache, tan skin, and a muscular build. His usual clothing consisted of a yellow shirt with two dark yellow and white stripes running down the middle, dark gray pants, and yellow shoes. He also liked to keep a button of his shirt undone to show off his chest hair. When Rafael settled down on Earth along with meeting Angie, he had taken up work as an artist, and once Marco was born, he stopped using his powers altogether. He chose to do things manually, enjoying the satisfaction of getting things done with his own two hands. Despite his choice, though, Mr. Diaz still had complete mastery of his powers. Like all Celestials, he is capable of shapeshifting, energy and matter manipulation, as well as psionic abilities. These days, though, he spent his time working on his art career or teaching Marco about his powers.

"Yeah, Principal Skeeves gave me the rest of the day off, so I thought we should come here." Marco answers. "Oh, is that the new exchange student he called me about then?" Rafael questions while pointing at Star. "Yep! That's me, Star Butterfly." the young princess replied in an energetic fashion.

"Well, you certainly seem like a very lively person, Star," Rafael questions with a happy tone, having already taken a liking to the girl.

"Yep! I sure am!" Star replies in an upbeat tone, with the grin on her face showing no signs of going away.

"Yeah, dad. I thought since I'm her guide and all maybe she could stay with us?"

"Well, I don't see a problem with that. Besides, it would be nice to have her lively, upbeat energy around the house," Rafael answered.

Before he even thought about what he was saying, Marco jokingly added, "you know, dad, we could have just gotten that from a litter of puppies."

Beside him, Star gasped loudly, her grin somehow getting even bigger as she shouted "I. LOVE. PUPPIES!" Before the two men could react, Star had zapped her wand at the floor of the house. When the flash of light had abated, there lay a litter of eight adorable labrador retriever puppies. Marco and his dad couldn't help but go "AWWWW."

Strangely enough, the puppies then started shooting lasers out of their eyes, bouncing off the walls and damaging some of the furniture and pictures as Star laughed nervously. _"Okay, that was unexpected, but it's no big deal"_, Marco thought as he knew he and his dad could just fix everything. Mr. Diaz seemed to be thinking the same thing, brushing it off as he picked up one of the puppies. Even one of the lasers going into his eye didn't phase him.

"Well now that we got that out of the way, I'll show star to her room now, dad," Marco said as he and Star proceeded to go upstairs, with Star excitedly running the whole way.

"Go ahead, Marco. If you guys need me, I'll be here painting." Rafael said. "But first, I need to make sure you little guys stay out of trouble! Come along, little ones. Let's go outside!" Rafael said to the puppies as he headed out back to finish his painting.

"Okay, Star, here's your new room," Marco said as he opened the door to the guest bedroom that they used for exchange students.

"Hmm, yeah, I can work with this," Star said as she pulls out her wand.

"SPARKLE GLITTER BOMB EXPAND!"

One immense and glitter-filled explosion later, What was once a normal room was now the size of a three-story castle loft. "Woah, that's awesome," said Marco. _"Man, if only I could do the same with my abilities",_ Marco thought.

Rafael once told Marco that thanks to the Celestial's ability to manipulate matter and molecules at an atomic level, they can create anything from nothing. It can be as small as a ball, as big as a house, or even an entire planet. Something the size of a planet, though, would need thousands of years of practice and millions more to make. However, the more complex an object, the harder it is, so it can help to have an active imagination and high intellect.

_"One day, I'll be able to do those things as long as I keep practicing with my powers"_, Marco thought with a silent look of determination on his face. _"Until then, though, I can keep using them to make me nachos"_.

Marco then looked over to Star, who was bouncing on her now-massive bed " Ahhh, that's better," Star said happily.

Marco then proceeded to check out Star's new room and was impressed with how much thought she was able to put into it. _"Maybe I could get advice from her on how to use my imagination"_. As he looked at the sword sitting next to Star's bed, Marco absentmindedly mentioned, "I wish I had a room like this."

"*gasp* You do?" Star shouted while jumping off the bed and running over to Marco's room, with Marco close behind. Before he could do anything, though, Star had already started using her wand.

"MYSTIC ROOM SUCK TRANSFORM!"

Suddenly, a black hole then appears in the center of the room's floor and started sucking everything in it, almost threatening to take the two teens and the laser puppies with them.

"Quick, close the door!" shouted Marco as he struggles to pull himself and Star away. Somehow, he was able to do so, though one of the laser puppies wound up getting caught in the black hole.

"I am so sorry, Marco. I don't know why it came out like that," Star said with a panicked look on her face.

"Perhaps.. it's... because the word suck... is in it?" Marco replied with a bit of sarcasm.

Star then gets a sad look on her face.

When Marco saw this, he immediately added," You know what, don't worry about it. It's only been a few days since you inherited the wand, right?" Marco questions Star.

Star nodded, but she couldn't shake the look of sadness and guilt on her face.

"So don't beat yourself up over it. Now come on. I'm going to show you around town, for now, Star," Marco said with a smile on his face.

"Really?! But what about your room?" Star questioned.

"My dad can fix it he's great at stuff like that, now come on we don't have all day" Marco replies to Star.

"Okay, if you say so!" Star answers with an excited tone.

"Dad, I'm heading out to show Star around town. By the way, all of the furniture in my room got sucked into a black hole, so we're going to need to replace it once I get back." "Alright, Marco, thanks for letting me know! I'll stay here and watch the laser puppies!" Rafael replied as his son left with his new roommate.

Once they were gone, Rafael began to speak to the laser puppies. "You know, this would be a good way to teach Marco how to use his powers. Let's see what he can do once he gets home."

Marco then proceeded to show Star around town. Though Star would often ask questions because of how different is Earth is from Mewni, Marco was more than happy to answer her. Before they knew it, it was already getting dark. So they decided that it was time to go back home.

As they were walking in front of the Stop-n-Slurp Convenience Store, Marco remembered that he needed to get some stuff for school. "Hey Star, why don't you wait here for a bit, I need to buy some stuff from that store," Marco said to Star.

"Sure thing, Marco," Star replies with a smile. Just as Marco was about to enter the store, though, he heard an unknown voice call out to Star. When Marco turned around, he saw a short humanoid bird with a skull cap along with a group of monsters was standing menacingly in front of Star.

"Ludo! How did you know I was here?" Star asked

"Hahaha! Wouldn't you like to know?" Ludo said

"Yes. That's why I asked," Star said

"Well, Buff Frog-Hey! I don't have to tell you anything! Get her!" the little bird man named Ludo angrily yelled.

Roaring their battle cries and weapons, Ludo's minions charged straight for the princess.

Star assumes an attack stance, but before she could do anything, Marco jumps in front of her.

"Hi-yaaa!" Marco yelled, giving one of the monsters a punch to the stomach that sent them to their knees, and then following it up with an axe kick to the face.

"You can fight?!" Star said excitedly.

"Yeah... I took a bunch of classes on self-defense. It's called karate!" Marco said as he chopped at another monster before making a taunting gesture towards the rest. The monsters fell for it and charged right at the now battle-ready duo.

First, Marco dropped Bearicorn with a cross chop while Star fights Deer Beard, who was holding a giant hammer. Star kicks him in the stomach, and the hammer bonks him on the head. Marco gives a loud yell as she does a flying kick taking out a few monsters.

"You said she was unguarded!" Ludo yelled at a frog-like monster that seemed to be his second-in-command. Said monster could only shrug his shoulders and shake his head as he made the "I don't know" gesture while the two teens continued to pummel Ludo's forces.

"Hiiii-ya!" Marco yelled with a smile, _"Man, this is the most fun I've had in months!"_ Marco thinks to himself. Unfortunately, his karate chop on a two-headed monster had no effect, his hand just going through the gap in the two heads.

"Huh?" Marco questioned

The monster smiled, seeing that Marco's attack didn't do anything.

Thinking quickly, though, Marco smiled as he jumped back and punched the minion's two heads at the same time. To the side, Star jumped behind a giraffe-headed minion, quickly pointing her wand and shouting "Rainbow Fist Punch!" at him.

Star's wand produced a rainbow-colored fist that knocks the giraffe minion through a car window. While fighting the first three-eyed minion, Marco opens the car's driver side door, and the giraffe minion's neck stretches to knock the three-eyed minion out.

"Hah!" Star yelled as she knocked over another minion with her wand, causing it to whine in pain like a horse. Marco appears next to her, and they smile at each other as Marco karate-chops it. Star then blasted Buff Frog back into a streetlight.

"You're embarrassing me! Get up!" Ludo yelled

Buff Frog gets up and breaks the streetlight off its base, and holds it up using it as a club.

"Jellybean Hallucination Mist!" Star yelled, blasting him with a mist that began to take effect. Before long, he started hallucinating jelly beans and faces on his hands, leaving him too panicked to fight anymore.

Marco proceeded to knock around more monsters, the smile never leaving his face as he finally felt the excitement he craved.

With the monsters on their last legs, Star decided to end the fight in one fell swoop. Readying her wand, she shouted out, "Mega... Narwhal Blast!" Then, several massive narwhals came pouring out of her wand and bulldozed their way into the monsters, knocking them out or leaving them pinned underneath. By the time the narwhals vanished, all of the monsters were laying on the ground, groaning in pain.

"You want some of this, Ludo?" Star asked with a smirk standing over Ludo as he tried to stand up, not having much success.

"Nooo…" Ludo groaned as he pulled out a pair of scissors and made a portal, "You see, you morons?! This is what happens when you don't work out! Your muscles are like pudding! Come on, back in the portal, back in the portal."

Ludo's minions, groans and gets up shuffling through the portal.

"You even retreat like losers!" Ludo yelled before jumping inside the portal himself. "I'll get you, Star Butterf—!" The portal closes early, catching Ludo's neck, choking him in the process. He struggles for a second but pulls his head back in, leaving behind his skull crown.

With the fight now over, Marco was coming down from the adrenaline "That was amazing! I was amazing! You were amazing!" Marco yelled while jumping around, excitedly.

"Yeah. I guess we were...Well... I should probably go pack my bags," Star said.

"What?!? Why? Why would you that?" Marco says with a questioning look on his face.

"Well, it's because you've been so nice to me, and I've done nothing but cause you trouble since I got here, and I don't want you getting hurt because of me," Star answers with a sad look on her face.

_"If she knew what I was, she wouldn't have to worry"._ Marco immediately pushed that thought away, though, as he spoke to Star.

"Star, it's not your fault because, as I said, you've only had the wand for a short time. It's understandable that you aren't good at it yet. So I want you to stay with us. Besides, that was the most fun I've had in a long time!"

"Really?! Hugs!" Star yelled, wrapping Marco in a tight hug, which Marco then returned, wrapping his arms around her. _"This, this feels nice"_, Marco thought as he couldn't help but smile at the girl. After a few moments, the two pulled apart and started making their way back home.

"Are there gonna be monsters attacking us all the time?" Marco excitedly asked his new friend.

"Yeah, probably," Star said

"All right! Sounds so dangerous!" Marco said, eager for whatever may happen next.

Star was about to cross the street, but Marco stopped her with his hand.

"Whoa! Let's cross at the light," Marco said

"Okay, wild man," Star said with a smile.

While Marco and Star were walking back home, he remembers the thought he had earlier. _"Should I really consider telling Star about my heritage? NO... I'll tell her when I feel like the time is right"_. Marco concluded in his thoughts as they finally made it home.

Later that night, after Star had managed to go to sleep, Marco and his dad met inside his now barren room. "Okay, mijo, I want you to use your powers to recreate everything in this room. Remember what I taught you?" "Yep. Visualize what I want in my head, and then will it into existence." "Very good, son. Now, let's begin". Marco stood in the center of his room, closing his eyes as he brought the images of everything he had in it to mind. From his bed and sheets to his desk with his laptop, to all the posters he had on the wall, it was all there, plain as day. He concentrated hard on these things, and after some effort, he opened his eyes. Everything was right where he left it.

"Well done, Marco! I knew you could do it! And you even added the school supplies you needed!" Rafael said in approval as he gestured to his desk, with the supplies on top. "Yeah, but it still took a lot out of me, though. I think I've got some work to do before I can make my own planet," Marco said before chuckling. "Don't worry, my son. There will be time for that later. For now, get some sleep." "Alright, good night, Dad!" "Goodnight, son." As Marco laid back in bed, he thought the day's events and how much had happened in just a few short hours. _"I was right. My life is finally getting interesting"_; he thought as he nodded off to sleep.


	4. Announcement

First of all i would like to say that all my previous chapters have been rewritten or in the words of my beta reader revisioned. the reason for this is because i asked for help from a reader of mine in fixing my story's ( who is now my beta reader and has also agreed to help me with future chapters) grammar as well as improving it. Cause lets be honest the grammar in my story before being rewritten is brutal due to english not being my native language.

So i would like to thank with all my heart RJWritingInk

for helping and agreeing to help me with my story for as long as he can.

I would also like to thank those of you who likes my story. i will continue to update my story though


	5. Party with a Pony part1

Late one night at the Diaz Household, Marco and Star were in the kitchen with the boy hard at work, making Star his favorite food in the entire universe: nachos! "Trust me, Star, you haven't lived until you try my nachos! And since Dad's out all night, we'll have them all to ourselves!" Marco spoke excitedly to his blonde bestie.

_"Man, it feels great to make my nachos the old fashion way again"_, Marco thought to himself as he put on the finishing touches. _"I can't remember the last time I didn't use my powers to make food for myself"_.

While Marco had used his powers to turn other objects into food, he still preferred to make food the usual way. Mainly because at first, his powers could only recreate a food's appearance, but lacking any flavor whatsoever. It took him a few weeks of practice, but he was eventually able to perfect the process. As a result, he started using his powers whenever he wanted a snack. With Star around, though, he had an excuse to get back to making food the old-fashioned way and wholeheartedly enjoyed it.

When Marco finally finished preparing his nachos, he presented it to Star with excitement.

With pride in his voice, Marco wheeled around, creation in hand, proclaiming, "Behold Star, feast your eyes on this!"

**"MARCO'S SUPER AWESOME NACHOS!**" Star said in a reverent tone as she clapped excitedly at the new food. Carefully, the princess picked up a nacho. "oooooh, triangle food." Just as Star was about to eat one, there was a knock on the front door.

_"I wonder who that could be?"_ Marco questions to himself as he went to open the back door. _"Dad's not supposed to be back yet"_. However, when he opened it, he finds no one there.

Marco got a confused look, which slowly changed to one of suspicion as he looked from left to right. As a habit instilled by his dad, he prepared to use the bare minimum of his powers as a last resort. Fortunately, he didn't have to, as when he looked to the left again, he heard a voice speak up.

"Yo, what up home fries?" came from what appeared to be a flying unicorn head.

Marco's eyes went wide in shock as he froze on the spot. After a few seconds of looking at the floating horse head, the half-Celestial mustered the only three words that came to mind at that moment.

**"WHAT THE F--."**

"*gasp* No way! Flying Princess Ponyhead!" interjected Star in excitement. Star immediately, practically shoving Marco out of the way in her enthusiasm as she stepped to Ponyhead and hugged her.

Marco finally snapped out of his shocked state and spoke up. "Wait, did you say Flying Princess Ponyhead? The same Ponyhead you were telling me about a few days ago?".

"Yep! the one and only!" Pony head answers in a smug tone before turning to Star. "Now B-fly, who is this turd?".

"Hey!" Marco protested.

"Oh, this is Marco Diaz, my best friend," Star answered while Marco waved and smiled nervously.

" Your best friend?" Ponyhead said in a sad voice.

"Huh? Oh no-no-no-no, he's my best friend on Earth. You're my best friend on Mewni". Star corrects herself immediately, hoping to avoid hurting Ponyhead. She had learned a long time ago that Ponyhead got jealous fairly quickly.

Ponyhead moved in closer and snorted right in Marco's face, but ceased when Marco gave him a stare that just said don't even think about it, lady. After a moment or two, Ponyhead just said, "Well, whatever. Gurl, we are going out tonight! You ready to make some baaad choices?" Ponyhead asks in anticipation.

"Am I?!" Star immediately answered in an excited tone. Turning to Marco, she asked him, "Whaddya say, Marco? You ready for your first interdimensional trip?"

"Relax, Star, you know I'm down for anything Star. Especially if it's going to involve other dimensions". Marco said in his usual calm tone, though with a hint of excitement in it. "It's about time I learn about the rest of the universe".

"Well, I was hoping it would just be B-Fly and me, but whatever! Great!" Ponyhead said before spitting out a pair of scissors.

"Dimensional Scissors, Ah jealous!" Star said excitedly as Ponyhead cuts open a portal. "Oooh, so that's how people travel between dimensions. So what do I do, do I just walk through-"

Before Marco could finish his sentence, Star grabbed his hand. "Let's go, Marco!" before jumping into the portal.

Ponyhead then follows, before turning and looking around suspiciously before entering the portal as it closes.

Another portal then opens up seconds after Ponyhead entered. Three figures wearing scary, nazi-esque uniforms with masks on their heads emerged from it, the one in the middle then inspecting the pile of glitter on the ground.

"Glitter, she's close" It spoke in a robotic voice before pulling out a dimensional scissor and entering the portal with the other two following him.

* * *

Marco and Star emerged from the portal and landed on their feet with Ponyhead landing(floating) next to them.

"Woah, where are we?" Marco questions while looking around in curiosity as he took in the environment. Despite being a half-Celestial, this was Marco's first trip beyond Earth. His dad had promised that he would be able to go on trips once he got greater control over his powers. However, neither of them expected a Magical Princess to be thrown into the mix.

The environment looked very much like a club you find back on Earth with a dance floor and some beanbags and couches along the edges of the area. What wasn't normal were the vast number of non-humans of what seemed to be different species from all over the cosmos and the fact that everything seemed to be placed on top of clouds in a vast purple space. Up at the Dj stand, some creature that Marco didn't recognize was playing. People were dancing or just chilling on the sidelines, talking with each other creating a fun yet very laidback and chill atmosphere.

"This is the Bounce Lounge, my favorite place to just chill." Star laid back completely relaxed while letting out a small sigh. "Just watch out for the spikes along the edges."

"Wait, did you just say spikes?" Marco questioned in confusion before nearly stepping off the edge. Had he not balanced himself, he would have fallen over the side. When he looked down, he saw that there indeed many spikes on the ground surrounding the dance floor. Marco could feel sweat trickling off his face at the sight, especially when he saw a skeleton impaled on one of them. Imagining himself in the poor skeleton's face made him shudder at the close call.

_"Woah! That was way too close for comfort"_, Marco thought. _"And as far as I know, I'm not sure whether my Celestial half would be able to save me from that"_.

Marco knew that while Celestials are ageless and extremely durable, they're not immortal. While they could die, it would take a lot even to damage them, let alone kill them. As a hybrid, Marco didn't fully understand how durable he was. One thing's for sure, though: he was in no hurry to discover it the hard, or rather agonizingly painful, way.

_"I should start experimenting more with my Celestial powers nowadays. It wouldn't hurt to make my skin durable enough to shrug off impalement"_. As Marco mentally added that to his list of things to try with his powers, Star pulled him away from the edge to a nearby photo booth.

"Ooh, Marco! Photo booth, a photo booth!" Star said as she excitedly as tossed the hoodie-wearing boy into the photo booth, before being followed by her and Ponyhead.

Star pulled the two in close, and the booth began taking pictures with the first one having Star in the middle while Marco and Ponyhead are pulled in close. As the photos kept on coming, Marco and Ponyhead seemed to compete over who would be in the spotlight with Star. At first, it was very subtle, but it slowly became more aggressive when Ponyhead pushed Marco, knocking him into a wall. Marco didn't take it lying down, however, and he pushed Ponyhead down so he could look over her, forcing her out of the camera altogether. Star, though, was oblivious to what was happening behind her, having too much fun with her best friends.

"Alright, now just you two. So we can remember the day my besties became besties." Star smiled, moving out of the photo booth with the two at first smiling as she left. As soon as she was gone, the two then pushed their heads together, growling like angry bulldogs (noises and everything)

"Listen here, earth turd; we are not gonna be besties." The two stopped to get a picture as Ponyhead talked. "We are not gonna even be second besties."

"First off, perhaps the only thing I'll agree with you on. Second of all, Second, besties is not even a word, let alone a thing." Marco stopped so they could get another picture.

"Oh, you wanna make this a thing? This night is really important to me, so you stay out of my way, or you gonna get the horn. Got it?" Ponyhead shoved her horn at his throat. Marco just looked at it for one second, then pushed her horn out of the way until he was looking at her dead in the eye. "Lady, I fight monsters on a daily basis with Star. You think that's going intimidate me?" Frustrated that she couldn't bully him into submission, Ponyhead just snorted in his face again and left before Marco could say a word.

_"Hmph. If she knew what I was, she wouldn't be acting so smug"_. As a Celestial, Marco could wipe the floor with Ponyhead if he wanted to. However, one of the first things that his dad taught him was never to use his powers to be a j*. When Marco finally exited the Photo Booth, he looked around in search of Star before finally spotting her. Before he could make a move towards Star, he heard an unknown voice in his head.

**_"_****_WELCOME, EARTH CHILD"._**

* * *

**_AUTHORS NOTE:_****_I WONDER WHO THAT MYSTERY VOICE IS?_****_ANYWAY BIG THANKS TO RJWritingInk FOR FIXING MY STORY BEFORE I POST IT. PART 2 WILL COME SOON THOUGH._**


	6. Party with a Pony part2

**_Welcome, Earth Child._**

When Marco heard this, he immediately darted his head side to side, trying to find the source of the mysterious voice. When he couldn't find it, he thought he was just hearing things and decided to look for Star again. That's when he noticed something up: time seemed to have come to a standstill. Everyone in the Bounce Lounge stood frozen in place, like strange statues. Once more, the voice returned inside his mind.

**_Now tell me, what is someone like you doing here?_** The voice spoke again in a friendly tone.

Marco still didn't know if he was hearing things, or if someone was speaking to him inside his head. As tempted as he was to use his powers to find an answer, he realized that would accomplish little. Deciding to take a chance, he mentally responded to the voice, hoping that he would get a response.

_Who are you? How can I hear you inside of my mind?_

The voice then lightly chuckled, as if amused by his inquiry. After a few seconds (from his perspective, since time appeared to have stopped), the voice finally replied. **_If you want to know, then I suggest we talk face to face_**. Before Marco realized it, a cloud materialized in front of him. He just stared at it, wondering what to do with it. **_Hop on,_** the voice instructed while not losing its friendly tone.

Marco was hesitating on whether or not to follow what this voice was telling him. There was still much about the Universe he didn't understand, and this could very well be a trap. However, for some reason, the boy felt like he could trust this voice. Besides, it may be the only way to get time moving again. _Oh, what the heck, might as well see where this will get me_, Marco thought to himself as he stepped onto the cloud.

The moment he stood on the cloud, it started floating towards the ceiling (or whatever passes for a ceiling in the Bounce Lounge) with no intention of stopping. As Marco got closer and closer to it, he closed his eyes while bracing himself, expecting to crash into it. But instead, he passed through it harmlessly, as though it was made of clouds. Once he had gotten through to the other side, the cloud finally stopped.

When Marco opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of a very extravagant room. It was similar in design to the Bounce Lounge, but it appeared to be smaller as if it was only meant for a few people. The floor was covered in a fluffy, silver carpet that felt soft to the touch. It was also unnaturally clean. I could fall asleep right here and never notice I'm sleeping on the ground.

Marco looked around and saw that, despite its grandeur, the room was also an office. Near a window that seemed to overlook the lounge, stood an expensive, mahogany desk decorated with stickers, knick-knacks, and other objects. In another corner, he saw what looked like a cross between a massage chair and a recliner with a small coffee table in front of it. Nearby stood a mini-fridge and what appeared to be a retro juke-box programmed to seemed to have access to Pandora, Spotify, and other Music apps. The walls were decorated with a mixture of posters, paintings, and what appeared to be photographs of people hanging in the Bounce Lounge.

**"Hello, Child,"** the voice spoke up from behind him.

When Marco turned around, he was met with the sight of a woman lying on a couch that seemed to be made from some sort of expensive material and decorated with pillows made out of clouds. She appeared to have violet hair with horns of the same color and four feathered 'wings' of the same color as well. Her face, however, was obstructed by purple rimmed sunglasses and a turquoise hand fan covering her lower face, except for a pair of three-pointed ears that were just barely visible. Her sense of fashion, though, was as upscale as the room, complete with gogo boots and fishnet stockings with a light purple dress and a gold belt.

Now that Marco was hearing her voice directly, he noticed that she spoke with a calm and smooth voice, like a person meant to be in charge. At the same time, she was laid back enough to approach anyone as an equal.

"Wh-who are you?" Marco asked with nervousness in his tone.

**"Oh, where are my manners. My name is Milly Sparkles, and I am the owner of the Bounce Lounge,"** she replied.

"Woah, so did you like, buy this place from someone?" Marco questioned with curiosity.

**"Nope, I made this place with my powers,"** the woman answered.

"Ohhhh," Marco absentmindedly nodded while scanning the room. After a few seconds, his brain finished processing what Milly said, and he finally reacted.

"Wait! Did you just say you made this place?!? How?!?!?" Marco shouted, his gaze now focused solely on the woman in front of him. "Could you possibly be a-?" Marco hesitated, though, on the last word. I don't know if I should reveal what I am to this stranger. At the same time, he couldn't believe it: he was potentially in the presence of another Celestial.

His father told him that even though the Celestials were identified as a species, they were very few in numbers. By some estimates, they barely made it past a hundred. _I never thought that I'd meet another Celestial. I knew that it was a possibility, but I was prepared to go my whole life without encountering one_. Marco's mind was going crazy with his situation until the woman answered again.

**"You were going to ask if I was a Celestial, right? Of course, aren't you one yourself?"** the woman replied immediately.

"H-how did you know?" Marco questioned with a shocked expression on his face.

**" Well, it's because of the 'Light' within you,"** she answered.

"Light?" Marco replied with a look of confusion. _This is the first that I've heard of this,_ Marco thought before he heard the woman speak again.

**"Let me explain,"** the woman told Marco as she sat up straight.

**"The Light is something that all Celestials possess within them, even you, who is a hybrid.**

Marco got an alarmed look on his face, but before he could speak up, the woman beat him to it.

**"Do not be alarmed that I know what you are. Only other Celestials can sense the Light, so do not worry about others finding out, especially that friend of yours."**

Marco's face relaxed at hearing this.

Then Milly's expression turned slightly serious. "**Now it's my turn to ask a question. What are you doing here?"**

Marco got a confused look before answering. "Well, my best friend and I got invited by her best friend to hang out. Well, she got invited, and my best friend brought me along. Though her best friend's made it clear she doesn't want me around."

**"Well then, can you imagine my surprise when I sensed that a Celestial had entered my territory? "** the woman continued while never losing the friendly tone. **"Celestials usually avoid being together in one place, though since your only half, I guess it doesn't count."** "Why is that?" Marco questioned.

**"Mostly because we tend to keep to ourselves.** **However, when we do sense another nearby, we can form a telepathic link, which is why I was able to communicate with you earlier. However, we are still able to block it out by using our psionic powers".** Marco simply nodded as he remembered his dad telling him of the psionic powers Celestials possess. Among other things, this also allowed Celestials some form of telepathic communication with non-Celestials. For it to work, however, it first required physical contact with the target to take effect. When Celestials used this to communicate with other Celestials, though, they simply need to think about it.

_But was that Light she was referring to earlier?_ Marco questioned to himself, forgetting that the link was still in effect.

**"Do not worry about that Light, for now, Marco Diaz, son of Rafael Diaz. All you need to know that it is there and that it exists within you. Should you choose to continue traveling the Universe, it will help you identify other Celestials."** Milly said all of this in a calm, mentor-like fashion, never losing the friendly look on her face. **"Now, I think it's about time for you to be getting back to your friend."**

"Huh?" Marco got a confused look on his face before realization hit him. "Oh, yeah, I was looking for Star before you found me. By the way, did you do the whole time-stopping thing? Because it reminds me of this 'Za Warudo' thing I saw in an anime once."

**"I do not know what this 'Za Warudo' is, but to answer your question, yes, I did stop time. I created this pocket dimension that the Bounce Lounge resides in. As such, I have total control over it. I merely halted the flow of time so that we may talk uninhibited."** Marco drank all of this in.** "And before you ask, I would not recommend trying it. In the state that you are now, you may not be able to handle it."** _Well, I doubt I could do it anyway. I'm still only a teenager,_ Marco thought.

**"Here, take this"** Milly materialized a book in her hand before giving it to Marco.It had a simple, emerald-colored cover to it. What stood out, though, was the silver-lined symbol on the front cover. It appeared to be something between the steering wheel of an old sailing ship crossed with a compass. it had four spokes arranged like an X, while the top seemed to have a dagger jutting out of it. For some reason, though, in the bottom left corner of the symbol, there was a little dot. Huh, it kind of reminds me of my mole.

"Woah, what is this?" Marco questioned in awe.

**"That is a book that contains everything you need to know about our kind, which includes abilities, artifacts, events, and even other Celestials themselves. Now, Marco, only a Celestial can read that book, and while some pages may appear blank at first, it will gradually appear as you get stronger, or you can get other Celestials to read it for you, like your father. Remember, if you plan on telling your friend about you one day, no one will stop you for it is your choice".**

At this, Marco spoke up. "To be honest, I don't know if I should tell her. I know how people once looked up to the Celestials at one point, and how some still worship them as gods. Star's one of the best people I've ever met, but she's still the Princess of Mewni. What if she freaks out if she learns that I may be stronger than her magic? Or what if her people were to learn about what I am. They could see it as a sign the Celestials are back, or stop heaping praise upon me! Or even try and use me for my powers! There's already a little bird-monster after Star for her wand! What if they start targeting me for my power?!?" At this point, Marco was vomiting out all his worries, though Milly just looked at him with a bemused face. As the young hybrid continued to worry, she put a hand on his shoulder, which helped to calm him down.

**"There is some merit to your concerns. The reason our people chose to withdraw from the Universe is that we knew what would happen if those with wicked intentions got their hands on our powers,"** Milly said with a serious look on her face, which returned to her usually friendly look. **"However, I do not think that you have any reason to worry about your friend. I have watched Star Butterfly for quite some time; she's an interesting one, that Princess of Mewni. She can be a bit reckless at times, but she's got a very kind heart, and she won't hesitate to stand up for her friends. I sense that she is meant to do great things someday, as are you if you choose to stay by her side."**

As soon as Milly finished, the cloud Marco is standing on started to descend back to the bounce lounge.

"Wait! I still have questions!" Marco shouted

**"The book can tell you what you need to know,"** Milly answered.

Marco then closed his eyes as his head went through the floor.

* * *

**_AUTHORS NOTE:_****_HEY SO HERE IS THE PART2. PART3 WILL COME OUT SHORTLY AFTER THAT I WILL GIVE an UPDATE SCHEDULE._**


	7. Party with a Pony part3

When Marco opened his eyes, he was back in front of the photo booth. Time had begun to move again, and from the looks of things, no seemed to have noticed that it had stopped.

_Did that all happen in my head?_ Marco wondered to himself until he noticed the same book in his hand with a note attached to it.

**_It's all real. This book is for Celestial eyes only, though. -M.S._**

"Cool." When Marco was about to open the book, though, he heard Star call out to him. "Marco, come on! We gotta hit the dance floor!" _Oh yeah, time stopped for everyone else, so I'm the only one who knows what happened_. Thinking quickly, Marco used his powers to shrink the book to the point where he could put it in his front pocket. Then for good measure, he covered it up with his hoodie and kept it in place with some tape he conjured.

At that moment, Star came and grabbed him, dragging him onto the dance floor and spinning him around like a top. He felt dizzy at first, but after a moment or two, he began to enjoy himself and started laughing alongside Star. Unfortunately, he didn't notice when Ponyhead began dancing wildly and smacked into him, sending him reeling towards the edge before falling off. Thankfully, he was able to grab onto the side just in time. Still, he was more than a little irritated at what had just happened. _I'll bet she did that on purpose for what happened in the photo booth,_ he thought as he climbed back up. When he looked down at the spikes, he noticed that one of the skeletons was chanting, "fall, fall, fall." "Yeah, sorry, bonejangles, but not today."

"Oh my gosh, Marco, are you okay? You need to be more careful!" Star said as she came over and picked him up and took him away from the edge. "It's alright, Star. If anything, blame Ponyhead. I'm pretty sure she did that on purpose!" "What? *pfft* nooo. She just tends to get crazy when she's dancing." The two looked back at Ponyhead, who was now riding another dancer like a horse.

"*neigh* Oh yeah, you like that, huh? You know you do *neigh*." For some reason, Marco felt like that image would give him nightmares for a few days.

"And while we're on the subject, she threatened to skewer me in the photo booth, Star." At this point, Star got a sheepish look on her face. "Yeaahh. She can be a tiny bit...possessive. But that's just because she values me as her bestie. I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it", trying to reassure Marco.

"Well, alright, but if she tries anything like that again, I won't be held responsible," Marco replied as he glared daggers at Ponyhead.

Suddenly, Star's face lit up with an idea and turned to her floating horse friend "Hey, Ponyhead, how about we head on over to the Amethyst Arcade? That seems more like Marco's style."

"Gurl, are you crazy? I am too busy. Getting. My. Dance. on." At that moment, though, Ponyhead heard another portal open up, and out came a group of familiar-looking beings in creepy uniforms. Panicking, she suddenly shoved Marco to one side and got out her scissors and began to tear open a portal. "Um, on second thought, maybe we should hit up the arcade. Like, right now!" she said as she then dove through the portal.

"I think she's warming up to you, Marco." Marco, on the other hand, was still unsure as they dove into the portal. Had they chosen to look back, they would have noticed the menacing uniformed men looking around in search of someone. They then began speaking to various party-goers. "Have you this seen this flying horse head?" one of them asked in a threatening tone while holding a photo of Ponyhead.

* * *

When Marco finally got his bearings, his eyes widened at what he saw. They were in a giant cavern filled with beautiful crystals. That's not what he was shocked at, though. As far as he could see, the entire place was lined row to row with arcade games. _Is this what heaven looks like for gamers?_ Marco thought as he drank everything in.

Star seemed to have picked up on the sheer joy on his face as she playfully nudged him in the elbow. "So, you like this place?" Marco immediately turned towards Star. "Are you KIDDING ME? THERE ARE SO MANY VIDEO GAMES!! I LOVE IT!"

"Yeah, I figured you'd like this place," Ponyhead floated over and said. She then whispered, "it's full of squares, just like you." At that moment, a bunch of living squares looked over in their direction at that comment".

"Oh, Marco, Ponyhead, look, look, look, look! Lance Lance Revolution! That game is perfect for you!" Before either of them could react, Star shoved them towards the giant arcade game, the two smiling nervously. Their smiles morphed into faces of anger as they growled at each other. _I'm going to enjoy beating her smug face into the ground_, Marco thought as they readied their weapons.

"Starting, Super Awesome Ponyhead vs. Lame Earth Turd." Marco did a double-take at that statement. "Hey! When did you even have time to enter that?"

"Round One, JOUST!" And the game began between Ponyhead and Marco.

Marco and Ponyhead got really into the game, but if the floating head thought that she would be able to crush Marco easily, she was in for a rude awakening. Thanks to his Celestial nervous system, Marco's reaction timing was far faster than that of an average human, which gave him an edge in video games. People had even told him he could go pro if he wanted to, but his good-nature meant that he always gave them some excuse why he couldn't. Besides, it wouldn't be fair considering how I could use my powers to sabotage other gamers. Marco seemed to catch onto the game quickly, with Ponyhead losing ground.

Star, meanwhile, was pleased to see the two finally getting along. "Aww, you finally like each other," She said as she patted both on the back. However, she found that they were covered in sweat, grossing her out. She then decided to leave them be while she got ice to cool off and to wash her hands.

"Hey, you, square. Have you seen this floating head?" Ponyhead dropped her lance in shock when she heard that voice. Sure enough, it was coming from those scary-looking men again. Unfortunately for her, Marco took the opportunity to win the game, pumping his fists in the air. "Ha, ha! Who's the turd now, Pointy Head?"

"Still you, Earth Turd!" Ponyhead retorted before leaving Marco to groan in irritation. Don't use your powers on her, Diaz. No matter how annoying she is, it's not worth it to turn her into a turd sandwich. Marco didn't have long to be irritated, though, as a line of talking squares came up to challenge him.

"Uh, hey, B-Fly, I'm already bored, and your tagalong won't stop bragging. Let's* up some other place". Ponyhead had reached Star and nervously tried to get her to leave at once. Star was too distracted to notice it, but there was some nervousness in her bestie's voice.

"Oh, all right. Let me just grab Marco, and we'll go". Ponyhead then quickly cut her off. "Uh, there's no need! He already went to get a spot ahead of us!" Ponyhead then cut open another portal with her scissors.

"Ah, that's so sweet of him. Always looking out for others. You know, when I ended up causing him trouble when I first came to Earth, he didn't hesitate to let me stay. Can you believe it? What a great friend!" Star then backtracked on what she said. "Oh, but not as great as you, Ponyhead. You're still my bestie on Mewni!"

"Yeah, whatever, let's go before we miss the good stuff," Ponyhead said in a rush to leave the arcade. Hmm, that's...not like her to blow a statement like that off. Star thought little of it, though, as she jumped through the portal.

Meanwhile, Marco had just managed to beat three other players in a row and was having the most fun all night. "Ha! Try and top that, Pointy Head!" At that moment, though, he realized that Star and Ponyhead were nowhere to be found, and his irritation returned. _Great, she must have ditched me and took Star along with her. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to use my powers a little bit on her to knock her ego down a notch_. That was the least of Marco's concerns, though, as he felt a gloved hand on his shoulder, while everyone suddenly looked ready to run away in panic.

"You, boy. We need to talk". As Marco turned around, he saw the voice came from a giant man wearing an intimidating mask. _Ah, crud_, Marco thought.

Meanwhile, Star and Ponyhead were busy enjoying themselves at an underwater dance club called the "Scum Bucket." The two were crowd-surfing and having the time of their lives as they listened to the band play in the distance.

"Woo-hoo! Isn't this the best, B-Fly!" "Oh, definitely, Ponyhead. But I can't help but notice that Marco's not here. Shouldn't he have found us by now?"

"Ah, who cares about that Earth Turd? I'm the only friend you need, gurl, and I am way more fun than he can ever be!" As soon as Ponyhead said that, though, Star got concerned. "Ponyhead, where's Marco?" "Ah, funny story, you're going to love this. But... I ditched him and left him back at the arcade."

"You did what?!?" Star asked incredulously. She then immediately got off the mosh pit and looked at her friend. "Ponyhead, how could you do that to him?!? He's my best friend!" Ponyhead then gasped. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. Last time I check, I was your best friend."

"I can have more than one best friend, you know. Unless, of course, one of them is a friend-ditching liar." Star crossed her arms and glared at Ponyhead, making the horse feel guilty.

"Does that turd mean that much to you?" "He's not a turd, and even if he were, he'd be the best turd I've ever met. Remember how I said how I caused trouble for him when I first came to Earth? I set fire to a part of his school. I got all the furniture in his room, sucked into a black hole, and we had to fight off a bunch of monsters after he showed me around town. Yet he managed to take all of it in stride, whereas any one of those things would make my parents send me to St. O's."

At this, Ponyhead began to feel guilty. "Alright, then. Let's get Earth Turd. Hopefully, he hasn't gotten into any trouble since then"

"For the last time, I don't know where she is!" Those men had tied Marco to a chair and began interrogating him, demanding that they tell him where Ponyhead was. When they didn't like what they heard, they decided to start turning their portable lamp on and off in a rapid fashion to intimidate him.

While Marco was trying to act like he was about to break, though, in truth, he wasn't concerned in the slightest. He knew that if he wanted to, he could just use his powers to get him out of this. He just didn't want to use them on other beings.

"Not talking, eh? Well, how about if we do this?" One of the men suddenly held up the book that Milly had given him. "*gasp* How did you get that? Give it back. It's mine!" "Oh, this upsets you? Well then, it would be a shame if we were to set it on fire". The guard holding the lamp then handed the book to another guard. "Burn it." The guard complied, pulling a lighter out of his coat and began to dangle the book above it. "Last chance, kid. Where is Ponyhead".

Marco, however, didn't hear what they said. He was too focused on using his powers. One of the things Celestials could do was to manipulate organic or living matter , but it was a skill that took a long time to master. Furthermore, as a hybrid, Marco still wasn't sure if he could shapeshift as his dad could. So, to work around it, he found a way to use his powers to modify his own body to help suit his needs. In this case, he briefly increased his muscle strength just enough so that he could break free from the ropes. Before the men could react, he had already delivered a roundhouse kick to the one hold his book, grabbing it, and returning it to his pocket.

"You just made a big mistake, pal," Marco said as he got into a fighting stance as the men began to rush him.

Meanwhile, Star and Ponyhead came in through a portal in time to see Marco fighting off the masked thugs.

"There he is. Crystal heart dagger..." Before Star could finish powering up her spell, though, Ponyhead stopped her. "No, wait, gurl. It's too dangerous. Here, take these." Ponyhead then held out her tongue and gave her her dimensional scissors. "Trust me, where I'm going, I won't need these." Before Star could process this, her floating headed friend had already charged into the melee.

"Hey creeps, I heard you were lookin' to ride with a pony. Well, come and get me!" The men then ceased fighting Marco, who refused to let them go. "Oh, we are so not done!" he said as he chased after them.

As the duo let the enemy pursue them, they began to create as many obstacles as possible. Ponyhead began zapping the arcade games, causing them to blow up in puffs of smoke. "Hey, Earth Turd, what do you think you're doing trying to hog my spotlight. I'm trying to go down all heroic and stuff. Besides, I thought you hated me." As Marco ran while toppling over some of the machines to slow them down, he looked at Ponyhead and said, "Oh, I do hate you. But if you're important to Star, you're important to me. Besides, these guys had it coming," adding the last one with a cocky smirk on his face.

"You know, I don't even know why I bothered coming back here to get you. You seemed to have everything under control already. You're lucky that Star cares about you so much, Earth turd", the floating equine said as she zapped at one of the pursuers. "Ah, well, I've been taking karate classes for years, so I know how to defend myself." More than you realize, though he didn't say that last part out loud. "Still, it's the thought that counts, Pointy Head" before spin-kicking one of the masked marauders

"Aw, dang man, you're a lot tougher then I thought. And that was a pretty good comeback. I almost forgot you're still an Earth Turd" _Gonna let that one slide_, Marco thought. "So, how long do you think we can keep fighting these flunkies?" Marco asked as the two were now backed into a corner.

"As long as it takes, Marco," Star said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. "You have no idea how hard it was to catch up to you guys." Smiling at his best friend, Marco replied: "Well, it's great knowing you got my back, Star." _Milly was right. Star is loyal to her friends_, he silently thought before turning his attention at the trio of danger, staring them down.

Before they could continue their fight, though, a loud, booming voice could suddenly be heard throughout the Amethyst Arcade. "Time to give it up, cupcake."

A giant unicorn head with a blue flowing mane and crown atop his head suddenly appeared behind their attackers, making Marco look on in shock, Star in confusion, and Ponyhead in guilt.

"King Ponyhead? What's he doing here?" Star asked aloud while Marco could only stand there with his mouth open in shock.

"Oh, hi, daddy.", Ponyhead said without looking up from the floor. Marco couldn't contain his shock anymore. "THAT'S YOUR DAD?!?!" "Ponyhead, what's your dad doing here?" Star asked her friend.

At this point, Ponyhead looked at Star with sadness in her eyes. "Oh, Star, it looks like the jig is up for me. But at least I got one last night of partying with you, gurl." "Before what?" Ponyhead couldn't contain her tears anymore: "Before this. I'm going to St. O's!"

Star gasped in shock, "NOT ST. OLGA'S REFORM SCHOOL FOR WAYWARD PRINCESSES?" Both girls immediately screamed as they remembered all the horror stories they heard about the place.

"Oh, it's true, B-Fly, but I brought this upon myself. I'm going to the slammer!" The two friends then hugged each other while the tears flowed down their faces. At this point, King Ponyhead interjected. "It's not jail, cupcake, it's reform school. Although, admittedly, it is a lot like jail." That just made them cry even more.

After they finished sobbing, Star looked at Ponyhead. "Ponyhead, you knew that you'd go to St. Olga's, but you came back anyway to save Marco?" "Yeah, well, it doesn't look like he needed much saving in the first place. That dude can take care of himself pretty well." Marco couldn't help but smirk at that. "Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, but he is your other bestie." "Aww, thank you, Ponyhead. Hugs!" After that, Star pulled the three of them in for a group hug, which Marco couldn't help but return.

After that, Star and Marco said their goodbyes to Ponyhead as the guards hauled her off to St. Olga's, with her even thanking Marco and calling him by his real name for the first time that night. She then laughed like crazy as she said that no jail could hold her for long.

"Ah, kids. You have them at first, and then you wish that they weren't around. It was nice seeing you again, though, Star". King Ponyhead then went inside the portal as it closed up.

Despite everything, Star couldn't help but grin at what happened. "I can't believe it. My two besties did become besties after all!" At that, Marco turned to Star and said, "Yeah, I wouldn't go so far as to call us besties. But I think she's starting to grow on me."

Suddenly, he went wide-eyed. "Oh, crud, we're stuck in another dimension!" "Actually" Star then reveals to Marco the same scissor Ponyhead used earlier.

*GASP* "Does that mean?" Marco asked with excitement.

"Yep! We can go anywhere we want in the entire universe," Star said excitedly. Marco couldn't help but pump his fists in the air at the prospect "AWESOME!" _And maybe I can run into other Celestials and learn more about my powers. Something tells me that I'm going to need them_. "So, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Star asked with a sly look on her face.

Marco smiled as he was also thinking about the same thing.

"Yep, nothing better than watching movies while eating nachos. Good thing I had enough for a second batch." Marco said as he eats a nacho with Star. "Oh my gosh, Marco, you were right. These are soooo good. We never have anything like these on Mewni." Marco couldn't help but grin at her saying that.

After they finished watching their movie and headed off to bed, Marco thought about everything that had happened that night. He had traveled to other dimensions for the first time in his life, and could now go anywhere he wanted to with Star's scissors. Above all that, though, he had met another Celestial besides his dad and had gotten a valuable book to help document everything he learned about his heritage. As he looked at the book, he was tempted to start reading it before deciding it was too late into the night. I'll start it up tomorrow, he decided as he pulled up the covers. His last thoughts before drifting off to sleep, though, were of one question that his talk with Milly had brought up: _Should I tell Star the truth about what I am?_

* * *

**_AUTHORS NOTE_****_SO TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY? CRAZY RIGHT?_****_YOU HAVE MY BETA READER TO THANK FOR THAT_****_WHO BY THE WAY AS USUAL DID AN AMAZING JOB WITH FIXING MY CHAPTER._****_ANYWAY FROM NOW ON IM GOING TO TAKE MY TIME WITH EACH CHAPTER. SO MY UPDATE SCHEDULE IS 1-2 WEEKS IF WE FINISH A CHAPTER EARLY I WILL POST IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE._**


	8. Matchmaker

One school afternoon, Star and Marco were walking into school as Star casually tossed her wand up and down, chatting about various things.

"I like red. I like hoodies. So I bought a dozen of them, simple as that," Marco said after being asked by Star why he always wears a hoodie.

_Well, more like I bought one, then I made the other 11 with my powers_, Marco thought to himself.

Before Star could comment on that, though, the two friends were met with a sudden yell: "Hey, look, it's that magic girl!" This shout was then immediately followed by a crowd of students saying hi to Star as they passed by. Marco could even swear he heard one yell, "Star Butterfly rules!"

Star had only been at Echo Creek Academy for a few weeks, and almost everyone at the school had grown to love her, for multiple reasons. Her infectious energy and friendly attitude were enough to win over the students. However, throw in the fact that she was an actual princess and could use magic to do whatever she wanted, and everyone pretty much adored her. Of course, it also helped that most people would consider Star to be very cute. _I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few guys already crushing on her_, Marco thought as Star returned the students enthusiastic greetings.

As he saw his best friend say hello to everyone, Marco began to think back to earlier that morning...

* * *

As Marco waited for Star to finish the shower so they could head to school, he saw his Dad making his way towards the backyard. _"Now's as good a time as ever, I guess,"_ Marco thought as he went to talk to his father.

"Hey, Dad," Marco called out to his father.

"Yes, Marco?" Rafael responded in his usual, happy tone.

"I have something to tell you, while we're alone," Marco started in a bit of a nervous tone. "You see last night Star and me-" Marco began to say

"Went to another dimension, right?" Rafael finished his thought for him.

"Wha?! How did you?" Marco managed to get out after a few seconds of bewilderment.

"Oh, mijo, I'm pretty sure you know the answer to that one," Rafael said, never once losing the happy tone in his voice. At least that meant that he wasn't mad at Marco. "Oh right, you probably saw us when we went home," Marco answered. "Well, anyway, dad, I have something else I need to tell you." Marco paused, trying to figure out how to word what he had to say next. Before he could reply, he heard Star calling out to him.

"Come on, Marco, We're gonna be late!" Star had finished getting dressed for the day and was now standing by the door, waiting for Marco."oh, coming! " Marco replied before facing his father again.

"I'll just tell you the rest later when I get home, Dad." "Sure, Marco, just be sure to take care at school," Rafael replied before proceeding to the backyard to get started on a sculpture. "Bye, Mr. Diaz," Star happily shouted as she and Marco made their way to school.

* * *

_I wonder if I should show Dad the book_, Marco questioned to himself. He then heard Star say something to him. "Oh my gosh, everyone's so cool here, Marco. It makes me wish my parents had tossed me out of the castle years ago," Star said.

"Me too, but you haven't met the coolest people yet," Marco said while leading Star to a girl with dark-colored hair wearing an olive green shirt, a turquoise jacket, yellow skirt, brown boots, and an olive green beanie hat.

"Star, I'd like you to meet Janna, one of the most interesting people in Echo Creek," Marco said while pointing at Janna.

"Aw, I'm flattered, Marco," Janna said in a laid back tone while putting her arm along Marco's shoulder. "Hehe, do you plan on giving me back my wallet?" Marco replied in an amused tone. "I'm impressed Marco, you're the only person who sees through my tricks," Janna answered with a smirk while handing over Marco's wallet back to him. Janna Ordonia had the reputation of being the resident trouble-maker of Echo Creek Academy, seeing the marks on her permanent record as a badge of pride. Combine that with her interest in the supernatural and all things weird, and it's no wonder why she had such a reputation. Despite their contrasting personalities, though, Marco and Janna had been close friends since grade school, though at times, not even he was safe from her "Jannanigans." Fortunately, Marco had learned to use his powers to keep himself safe from the worst of his beanie-wearing friend's antics.

"So anyway I'm off to class" Janna walks away while twirling a bunch of keys on her finger. Marco knew right away that they were his house keys, though he knew he shouldn't have to worry. _Why should I when I just make another copy myself? Plus, her reaction when she thinks that I took my keys without her noticing would be priceless_. Marco mentally chuckled to himself, never letting his smile leave his face as he and Star waved goodbye to Janna. "I think you two will get along great, Star. Though I wouldn't recommend going along with many of her schemes or else you'll be on the teacher's bad side." Marco cautioned his friend. After she had told him about what St. Olga's was, he didn't want to see her head there. "Don't you worry, Marco. I can take care of myself. But thanks anyway".

At that moment, they heard the sound of a skateboard whizzing down the hallway. When they turned around, they saw a girl Marco knew well hurtling down the hall on a skateboard.

"Hey, Jackie!" Marco said, raising his hand. "Marco!" "Hey, Star Butterfly!" Jackie says as she continued to skate by.

"Who was that?" questioned Star, curious about who that new girl was. "That, Star, is Jackie Lynn Thomas. She's also a good friend of mine, and probably one of the coolest girls in our school." Marco answered.

Jackie was a girl around Star and Marco's age, with a freckled face tanned from years spent participating in sports outside. With her signature blue-green shirt, seashell necklace, and blue streak in her platinum blonde hair, Jackie was easy to pick out in a crowd.

When Marco first met Jackie in kindergarten, he had developed a crush on her, but could never find a way to confess to her. After working up the nerve to talk to her, though, they finally became friends. However, as the years go by, this crush faded away to the point that any feelings he has towards Jackie are only platonic. In a way, she was like the cool sister he always wanted. Plus, there is the fact that she's into girls, Marco reminded himself.

"I did have two other friends named Alfonso and Fergurson, but they moved away to this weird town in Oregon a few years ago. Anyway we should get going too Star were gonna be late for Class," Marco said as he Star make their way towards the Class.

Star and Marco arrived in Class, and they proceeded to doodle to pass the time. Star was doing it on her desk with Marco doing the same on a piece of paper.

"Look-look-look-look-look! It's my name! It's my name! With a star inside a butterfly and two hearts and a spider," Star said.

"Hmmm, not bad buuutttt" Marco then shows a drawing of a fireball with the name Marco inside of it, "I think mines better." While he could have used his powers to make whatever he wanted, Marco took after his Dad when it came to art and preferred to do it by hand.

The two friends drawing time was interrupted by a paper being slammed on their desk by their teacher,(almost surprising Marco out of his chair in the process).

Marco and Star looked up to see Miss Skullnick, their grouchy teacher, with a monstrously annoyed face. She continues to hand out test papers to the rest of the Class, the scowl never leaving her face. "As you can see, class, most of you have done a pathetic job," Miss Skullnick said, not even bothering to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"Not me! I got an 'F' for 'fantastic'!" Star said, holding up her test to show Marco. "I hate to break it to ya Star, but that's an 'F' for 'fail," Marco said

"Huh?" Star questioned, looking down at her test. "What? You don't have tests on Mewni?" Marco asked with a confused look

"Uh...So what grade did you get?" Star asked, dodging the question.

"Only the best grade you can get: A-plus with a smiley face, although I think this is the closest Miss Skullnick has come to smiling," Marco said, holding up his paper.

"Ooh...I want the best one too!" Star said, standing up.

Star walked up to Miss Skullnick, which caused Marco to freak out and attempt to reach out to Star.

"Wait, don't!" Marco said while failing to stop Star.

"Oh, Miss Skullnick!" Star called in a sing-song voice. _Never bother Miss Skullnick when she's in a lousy mood, Star,_ Marco thought. His thoughts were justified, as Miss Skullnick crushed the chalk in her hand before turning to Star with an angry look on her face. And this may be the most upset I've ever seen her.

"Hey, Skullzy! Can you please do me a teeny favor and turn my 'F' into an 'A?" Star said, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

"You're whining about a lousy grade? I finally got a guy with a boat, and he left me at the dock!" Miss Skullnick screamed.

"The dock?" Star and Marco questioned simultaneously

"The dock isn't the important part!" Miss Skullnick yelled

Star got a thoughtful look and started to nibble on her wand. According to her, the bell on her wand tasted like candy corn.

"I guess I'm doomed to dry land," Miss Skullnicks said in a miserable tone. At that moment, though, Star's face lit up, as though she had the best idea in the world.

"I got it! I'll cast a spell to get you the perfect guy, and you can give me the perfect grade," Star said

"What?!" Miss Skullnick and Marco shouted at the same time.

"Ah, crapbaskets." Marco said in a worried tone while taking cover behind his desk.

"Man Magnet…"

"Wait!" Miss Skullnick screamed. Marco, though, dove behind his desk chair as he braced for what would surely be a disaster.

"...Love Storm!" Star yelled, shooting magic at Miss Skullnick.

After a flash of light, Miss Skullnick was transformed into a hideous green-skinned troll.

"Well, didn't see that one coming," Marco said while coming out of his hiding spot." So what happened, Star" Marco questioned while pointing at Skullnick.

"I-I think I turned her into a troll," Star said. As soon as the shock wore off, the Class started cheering at Star's coolness for the umpteenth time.

"Star Butterfly rules!" a blonde boy shouted from his desk.

The moment was ruined, though, as Skullnick finally understood what had happened to her. So she reacted in the way that any sane adult would do.

"Ahhhhhhhh! I'm hideous!" Miss Skullnick screamed. "Quick, change her back before she gives us more homework!" Marco yelled.

"Oh, okay, yeah, right!" Star gave off a nervous laugh before pointing her wand at Miss Skullnick, "Okay, yeah... Lightning Change Back!"

Instead of changing Miss Skullnick back, a portal appears and zapped Marco, Star, and Miss Skullnick, causing them to vanish. The rest of the students just sat there, trying to figure out what just happened. Then Janna broke the silence:

"So, who wants to use Skullzy's computer to watch videos on YouTube?"

Star, Marco, and Miss Skullnick magically reappeared in Star's bedroom. Skullnick started to scream again and ran around the room, freaking out. With her added bulk, every step seemed to cause the room to shake.

"Huh. Where are we?" Star questioned, clearly not understanding how her wand brought her here.

"I think you just zapped us back to the house," Marco said.

"Ohhhh...I wish I knew how I did that. It could really come in handy if I don't feel like using my legs," Star said

"Yeah, I think you used lightning change back or something," Marco said. "You should probably write it down somewhere." Meanwhile, Skullnick's crying brought them back down to earth.

"We've gotta do something about her," Marco said. "Agreed," Star said.

Thinking quickly and using the resources that they had, Star and Marco managed to grab Miss Skullnick and tie her to a chair, although the teacher-troll started crying buckets of tears, which began to flood the room.

"This doesn't seem physically possible!" Marco shouted as he tried to wade around the room, trying to keep his socks from getting wet. Marco hated wet socks more than anything.

"Please don't cry, Miss Skullnick," Star said, trying to comfort the distraught teacher.

When it became clear that that wasn't working, Marco decided to take charge. "Star, we can't keep stalling. You're gonna have to call your Mom. She'll know how to reverse the spell."

"*GASP* No! I can't ask for help! If my parents find out about this, they're going to send me to…"

THUNDER STRIKE* (don't ask how.)

"ST OLGA'S REFORM SCHOOL FOR WAYWARD PRINCESSES!!!. AHHHHHHHH!!!". Star began screaming before being shushed by Marco.

"Are you done?" Marco asked with an amused tone

"hmmm. just a little more. Ahhhhhhhh!!" Star continued to scream before finally stopping.

"Look, Star, you just need to get the information without letting her know what's going on. You know, dance around the truth," Marco said. "Hmm, I am a great dancer!" Star exclaimed in a cheery tone, no longer as worried. "So, I'm gonna go downstairs to get a glass of water while you go call your Mom, okay?"

"Sure, Marco!" Star then proceeded to her Mirror while Marco makes his way downstairs. _I can also ask Dad if he knows how to reverse what happened to our teacher._ Marco knew he was too inexperienced to even think of attempting to alter organic life at this point with his powers. However, he felt that if Star failed, they were the best possible option.

When Marco arrived in the kitchen, though, he noticed a note attached to the fridge.

**_Ran out of art supplies, went to get some more._****_-Dad_**

"Huh, well, at least we don't have to worry about Dad asking why we are not at school," Marco said while opening the fridge to get a pitcher of water before he heard a loud crash sound.

***CRASH***

"What the heck was that!" Marco shouted before running back towards Star's room.

Marco arrived only to see a Skullnick shaped hole with Star at the side.

"What happened?" Marco asked with a confused look.

"She jumped through the window, and I had to hang up on my mom," Star said before jumping through the hole.

"Star wait!" Marco shouted before jumping through the hole as well.

Miss Skullnick, still tied to a chair, ran across the house yard crying and screaming. Marco ran after her before finally tackling her to the ground.

"Wow, good job, Marco," Star said.

"Wow, good job, Marco," A familiar voice repeated behind them in a mocking tone.

Star and Marco look up to see Ludo and his gang of monsters, poised and ready for battle.

"Ludo! What are you doing here?" Star said

"Catching you at your most distracted!" Ludo said in the most confident tone he could muster.

"What? I have been way more distracted than this," Star said in disbelief.

"It's true. Just this morning, Star was distracted by a Butterfly on the way to school".

"Hey!" Star protested.

"I don't know. You seem...pretty distracted," Ludo remarked.

"Nah, not really," Star said

"Oh, well...What's that over there?!" Ludo yelled, pointing randomly somewhere.

"What?! Where?!" Star yelled, looking at where Ludo was pointing, with Marco doing the same before facepalming himself _I can't believe I fell for that_, Marco thought to himself. _Thank heavens Janna's not here. She'd never let me live it down._

"Get her!" Ludo yelled

The monster all roar at the two as Marco and Star screamed at them.

Marco and Star run away as the monsters chase after them, trampling over Miss Skullnick in the process. Ludo climbed up his giraffe minion's neck before jumping onto the back of a flying bat creature, riding it into battle as the monsters approached Star and Marco.

"Dagger Crystal Heart Attack!" Star yelled waving her wand, "Feel the love!" An onslaught of heart-shaped crystals began to pour out of Star's wand, raining on the monsters.

The monsters flew backward with hearts stuck in their bodies, clearly feeling the sting of the love attack. Some unfortunate monsters ever got crystals in their eyes. Luckily, they weren't blinded by the projectiles.

Meanwhile, Marco faced down Bearicorn, Big Chicken, and Three-eyed Potato Baby. "I'm obligated to warn you-" Marco pulls out a red band and ties it around his head, "-I'm a red belt. With a stripe."

The monsters fake being scared and then giggle at the boy making him angry. Marco picked up a nearby rake and began to spin it around. While it would take years of practice for others to do that without making fools of themselves, Marco had figured it out after a few tries with his Celestial mind. He had figured out years ago that his advanced nervous system let him react many times faster than a human could, and often without even having to think about it. While it helped with video games, right now, he was grateful it could aid him in combat.

"HIYA!" Marco yelled, smacking Bearicorn in the face with the rake. He then followed up by sweeping underneath Three-eyed Potato Baby's legs and striking his face with the rake end. Big Chicken attacks Marco from behind and tries to peck at him, but he used the rake to block the continuous pecking.

"Ow-Ow-Ow, Hey! Stop that" Marco then uses his powers to temporarily increase his strength to smack the monster away from him "Take that!". Another monster then appears behind Marco while cracking its knuckles.

On Star's end, Buff Frog threw a flurry of punches at the girl, but she managed to dodge them all and bites Buff Frog's arm.

"AHHHHHH!" Buff Frog screams in pain.

While Star had her jaws clamped on the frog's arm, a crocodile monster tried to grab her from behind, snapping its jaws at Star, but missed. Rather than give her an opening, though, the crocodile turned around and smacked her with his tail, sending Star flying. As Star flew backward, she spun around to correct her landing and struck a three-eyed minion with her wand, making a large bump on his head, which he couldn't help but rub at in pain.

Marco, though, was starting to get into trouble. The monster that had picked a fight with Marco had gotten him into a headlock and was throwing punches in his stomach.

"Ow! Oww!" Marco yelled out. Using his powers the same way from earlier, Marco grabbed the monster's arm, unintentionally hurling him toward Miss Skullnick.

Miss Skullnick and the monster then locked eyes with each other.

"Ohh"

"uh"

"Narwhal blast!" Star shouted, blasting narwhals at the monsters before turning to look at the unexpected development.

Star looks at the monster (whose name is Emmitt) and Miss Skullnick. Seeing their love-struck looks, Star couldn't help but go "Awww...Narwhal Blast…", smiling as she threw another Narwhal Blast at Beard Deer without looking.

"Hey, Marco, you can handle this for a minute on your own, right?" Star asked.

"Oh, yeah. No problem," Marco said.

"Cool, thanks!" Star said, running off.

Marco turns around to see all of Ludo's monsters.

"Crud.. ahhhhhh," Marco yelled, running from the monsters. _Okay, this may be a little bit out of my league. And I'm still not ready to use my powers in front of a large group of people._

The monsters chase Marco around the yard until he spots the rake he was using as a weapon earlier. He grabs it and spins it around, knocking over two unfortunate monster mooks. The rest stopped and looked at the boy, who now had a smug look on his face.

"Now, I'm going to show you why you shouldn't have messed with me," Marco said, "YAAHHHH!" All of the monsters proceeded to scream and run as Marco chased them down with his weapon.

While this was happening, Miss Skullnick was trying to climb over a fence.

"Oh, Miss Skullnick!" Star said in a sing-song voice.

"What?" Miss Skullnick said as she stopped mid fence climb.

"See that monster over there?" Star said, "He thinks you're cute."

"Really? Ooh! What should I do?" Miss Skullnick said excitedly.

"Wait right here," Star said

Star runs over it Marco, who's about to hit Emmitt over the head with his rake.

"Take this!!," Marco said, trying using his enhanced strength to smack Emmitt. Fortunately, Star pulled the bull-monster out of the way, with Marco getting the rake stuck in the ground.

"Hey there, monster guy. See that troll over there?" Star said, pointing at Miss Skullnick.

Emmitt said something excitedly, but it all comes out as babbled nonsense. He ran up to Miss Skullnick as Star watched in anticipation. Meanwhile, Marco was chasing Ludo and the monsters around chasing monsters around with a smile on his face. He had also turned the rake into a golf club when they weren't looking.

_Haha, I haven't had this much fun in a while,_ Marco thought with a crazy grin on his face. He was treating the whole thing as a game of Grand Theft Auto and having the time of his life.

"Get away from him! He's crazy!" Ludo shouted in terror as he and the rest of the monsters ran from Marco, who was now laughing from sheer enjoyment.

"Hey, guys! I think you forgot something," Star shouted to the group.

Everyone stopped running to turn and take and take a look at Star. Her wand started to glow, and she points it at the group as Marco dived away.

"Turbo Nuclear Butterfly Blast!"

"Not again!" Ludo screamed

"O-Oh," Marco said before immediately hiding behind a tree.

A loud explosion covers the yard in rainbow light and butterflies. Star looked around surprised, surrounded by unconscious monsters and small fires, as Ludo groans in a tree and then falls out of it.

"Whoa-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!" Star said

Marco walks over to Star, patting her clothes. The explosion had gotten her a little soot on her dress, along with a few butterflies.

"You okay there, Marco?" Star asked

"A little dirty, but I'm fine," Marco said with a smile._ Like that could hurt me._

Ludo got up, groaning in pain and went to one of his minions, and started shaking the stuffing out of him.

"Told you I wasn't distract-Wait, did I just kill that guy?" Star asked with a bit of worry in her tone.

"No, he's not dead. He's probably just bleeding internally and being a total baby about it!" Ludo screamed as he kicked the monster in the head, "Stupid wuss…" He pulls out some scissors and opens a dimensional portal. "Get up, you dipsticks!"

Ludo's monsters all stood up, groaning in pain and covered in bruises, and shuffle toward the portal. They all went through the portal in defeat, with Ludo raising his fist before he entered.

Marco and Star looked over to see Miss Skullnick draped over the monster Emmitt.

"Ooh, you're so muscly…" Miss Skullnick said

"I'm gonna need to wash my eyeballs after this," Marco said.

"Ooh!" Star gushed out, "So... now that I hooked you up, how about that A?"

"Honey, please! I'd give you an A-plus if I were still a teacher. I'm setting sail with Captain Triceps here. Hehe," Miss Skullnick said giggling.

"Did she just giggle? I didn't know Miss Skullnick was capable of that," Marco whispered.

"What about my A?!" Star, incredulous that she went through all that to not get an A

"Try studying," Miss Skullnick said as she and Emmitt walked away.

Marco imitated a sad trombone noise as he walked over to Star, "Don't worry, Star, I'll help you study, what are friends for."

"Thanks, Marco, you're the best," Star said. "Hugs!"

The next day Marco and Star were in Class minus one Miss Skullnick. They explained everything that had happened after they gotten zapped back to the Diaz family house.

"So anyway, long story short, Skullnick ran off with this weird man-bull guy thing to another dimension, and now she is gone forever," Star said.

"Star Butterfly rules!" the same blonde kid cheered along with the rest of the Class.

Jackie then approaches Marco " So what Star said is it true," she asks in a curious tone. "Yeah, but for some reason, I have a bad feeling about this," Marco replied._ I hope I didn't just jinx us_, he mentally added.

A dimensional portal then opens over Miss Skullnick's desk, and Miss Skullnick fell through, smashing the desk into pieces.

The whole Class gasped, seeing the return of their least favorite teacher.

"Ah, crapbaskets," Marco said, smacking her forehead.

"He dumped me. I think. I don't know. I couldn't understand a word he was saying!" Miss Skullnick screamed

"Welcome back, Skullzers," Star said in a nervous tone.

"Get ready for the worst pop quiz of your lives!" Miss Skullnick screamed.

"Figures" Marco groaned along with the rest of the Class.

After Marco and Star got back(after a big headache from the pop quiz), they made their way upstairs before Marco noticed his Dad in the backyard finishing a sculpture. During the fight yesterday, Marco had been extra careful to keep Ludo and Star away from his Dad's work. If it's going to be what I think it is, Dad would be devastated if it got destroyed.

"Hey Star, why don't you go ahead? I need to talk with my Dad," Marco said.

"Sure thing Marco, besides, I need to rest my brain after that pop quiz," Star answered while making her way to her room.

When Marco entered the backyard, he got a closer look at the sculpture and realized that it was indeed familiar. It was of a young woman with delicate features and long brown hair that reached down to her thighs, standing in a majestic pose. Marco had only seen her in photos, but even without them, he would have instantly known who she was.

"You know? Your Mom would have loved Star," Rafael said with a hint of sadness in his voice, never once losing the smile he had on his face.

"Yeah, I wish I could've at least met Mom in person," Marco said while looking at a finished sculpture of Angie Diaz. As powerful as Celestials were, there were still limits on what they could do. Case in point, they were unable to bring back the dead, or at least unwilling to do so. They understood how precious life was, and thus didn't want to diminish its value.

"So about yesterday-" Marco said before being interrupted by his Dad.

"It's alright, Marco, I already know," Rafael said, "It's unavoidable for you to meet another Celestial, especially with you being one yourself."

"Yeah, she also gave me this book on our kind," Marco said while pulling out the book that he hid in his hoodie.

Rafael then inspected the contents of the book before speaking up "This book contains everything, have you already read this?" Raphael questioned.

"Yeah, however, most of the page is blank. Other than a few Artifacts and Celestials," Marco answered.

"Well, considering this book was made to see how much you've mastered your powers, it's reasonable." Rafael explained, "If you want to discover more, then I suggest you keep practicing. And you should keep staying near Star. Something tells me that you two were meant to be friends and that you'll accomplish great things together." Rafael said before handing Marco back the book. He then made his way inside before he heard Marco call out to him.

"Um, Dad, if it's alright, can I ask about what the 'Light' is?" Marco asks with nervousness.

Rafael stopped for a moment before answering, " Marco, the Light is something for you to learn in time, but now is not that time yet" Rafael then heads inside, leaving Marco looking at the statue of his Mother.

_I know I never got to know you, Mom, but I hope that you'd be proud of me. I'm going to keep learning about my powers and learn what the universe has in store for me. One day_, Marco thought with a determined look on his face.

••••

Marco's Celestial Codex

Milly Sparkles

Is the owner/creator of the Bounce Lounge. Unlike other Celestials, Milly is one of the few Celestials that did not take part in helping a civilization grow. Instead, she created her own dimension. In the past, this dimension was inaccessible to other people, even with the use of dimensional scissors. After the Celestials went into hiding, Milly decided to open her dimension and turn it into a place where people can sit back and relax, this place eventually became known as the bounce lounge. All the while, people are unaware of what Milly Sparkles truly is.

••••

* * *

**_AUTHORS NOTE: HEY THIS IS ROTHEM BACK WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER FOR YOU MY DEAR READERS. IN CASE YOU ARE WONDERING WHAT THAT LAST PART IS, THAT IS AN ENTRY FROM THE BOOK MARCO GOT. ALL FUTURE CHAPTERS WILL CONTAIN ONE ENTRY FROM THE BOOK AT THE END OF EACH CHAPTER. AND NOW A MESSAGE FROM MY DEAR FRIEND RJWritingInk._**

**_Hey, guys, it's me, RJ-Writing Ink, unashamed pop culture geek and now ROTHEM's beta reader. You may be wondering where Alfonso and Fergurson are; or you just don't care. Considering how Daron had no idea what to do with their studio-saddled dead weight and relegated them to cameos after Season 1, ROTHEM decided to just drop them altogether. Not all of us can fix a 2-d character's personality like The Wandering Hippie can._**

**_Speaking of Hippie, you guys should check out his stories. They're some of the best I've ever read and the guy should be getting way more support than he is. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go watch Hippie fight an evil Octopus version of him (read latest chapter of his story to find out why). Got popcorn out and everything._**


	9. Monster arm part1

It was your average, typical afternoon in the Diaz household. Or, as typical as it can get when one of its inhabitants is a magical, interdimensional princess, and the other two are practically gods. With his Dad out and Star doing something with Janna and Jackie, Marco had the whole morning free to himself. So, he decided to practice his matter manipulation. Using an empty box of his favorite cereal, Marco had spent the last hour working on changing it into different items. At first, he started with a rubber ball; then, he moved on to different objects.

_All right, let's make this a little more challenging_, Marco decided as he began to conjure the next object in his head. For some reason, he had lately been thinking about a bunch of old cartoons he used to watch as a kid. So, to challenge/humor himself, Marco started to change the cereal box into various objects from them. First up, he created an ordinary wooden plank, but on one side, it had a smiley face crudely drawn on with a crayon. Next, he transformed it into one of those cartoonishly large hammers. Then, just for fun, he turned it into a giant anvil. He even managed to have the word "ACME" painted on the side.

_You know, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this,_ Marco thought to himself as he finally settled on turning it into a Mackie Hand action figure. As he used part of his psionic powers to make the figure fly around, Marco thought about the changes in his life. Ever since he met Star, he had started to use his skills more and more frequently. He had figured that hanging around with a Magic Princess would lead to him getting into a lot more trouble, so his powers may end up saving his hide one day.

_Besides, I don't want Star to think that I can't handle myself_. As if the mere thought of her would provoke a response from the universe, he felt an explosion in the backyard accompanied by a familiar shout: "NARWHAL BLAST!"

_*sigh* Man that Ludo guy doesn't know when to give up_, Marco grimaced at how frequent the attacks had become. _Oh well, I still have that karate tournament in a few days, so I need the practice_. With that, Marco ran out of his room to the backyard. Fortunately for young Diaz, Ludo always appeared whenever his Dad wasn't around, so he didn't have to worry about his son fighting Monsters.

Not that he needs to worry. _It's not like me and Star can't handle Ludo's goons,_ Marco thought. He got outside just as Star dodged an attack from Bearicorn's hammer, with the girl retaliating with another blast of narwhals.

Before Marco could leap in, he saw an unexpected sight: sitting on lawn chairs on the side were Jackie and Janna, eating popcorn and watching the whole thing like it was a movie.

"Uhh, what are you guys doing here and shouldn't you be helping Star or getting to someplace safe?", Marco asked as he walked up to them.

"To answer your first question, we just got back from showing Star around downtown," Jackie replied nonchalantly.

"And to answer your second question, Diaz: are you kidding me? This is like seeing an action movie without having to pay for movie tickets!" Janna added.

"You don't pay anyway. I swear I've seen you sneak in through the theater's rooftops with a grappling hook." Jackie commented, amused by her friend's statement." "Hey, if they didn't want people to do that, they'd keep ushers up there."

"Marco! A little help?" Star says as she blasts another monster trying to swipe at her.

"Hang on Star. I'm coming. All right, I'm going to go help Star now," Marco said as he finally leaped into the fray.

"HI-YAH!" With a yell, Marco jumped into the air and landed a kick on the Giraffe-Man's neck, sending him stumbling into a few of his companions. Seeing him fall on top of them was like seeing a palm tree fall.

Meanwhile, Star couldn't help but smile at the sight of her bestie fighting alongside her as she prepared another spell. "Winterstorm Hyperblow!" Instantly, a beam of ice and snow shot out of her Wand and froze Lobster Claws and some Warthog-Minotaur hybrid in blocks of ice. When she saw the Monster called Spikeballs (because he had spike balls for hands) charging at her, she leaped above him, while shouting "Honeybee Tornado Swarm!". Instantly, a swarm of cute looking honeybees began to buzz around the Monster's face. Spikeballs tried to swat them away, only to fail because his hands weren't exactly great for slapping things.

"See, I told you this was better than any movie," Janna remarked to the side. "Oh, please, I never doubted you for one second," said Jackie. "Oh, hey, look at how Marco's doing!" In another corner, Marco was busy facing down Beard Deer and Three Eyed-Potato Baby at the same time. The two monsters swung their fists at him, hoping that he would either dodge or miss one and get hit by another. To their shock, the boy caught both their punches with his bare hands, cockily grinning all the while. He then delivered a roundhouse kick to Beard Deer, then pulled Potato Baby down onto the ground and elbowed him.

"Man, if he's doing this well now, then there's no way he'll lose in the tournament he has in a few days." Janna liked teasing Marco a lot, but when it came to his fighting skills, she had nothing but respect for him. "When this is over, we should ask if we can come along to watch," the beanie-wearing girl suggested.

"That does sound like a good idea," Jackie replied.

"Is that you chumps have got?" Marco cockily taunted, seeing how almost everyone was down, while Ludo could do little but fume in the corner. Unfortunately, Marco's cockiness made him forget to mind his surroundings. As he moved towards Star, he accidentally tripped on Beard Deer's antlers, falling to the ground. Then, before he could react, Buff Frog (who they hadn't seen all fight), jumped out of nowhere and stomped on his right arm with an audible snap.

"Not so cocky now, are you, Karate Boy?" Buff Frog smugly boasted as what happened finally reached Marco's brain, causing him to scream in pain.

Jackie and Janna couldn't help but grimace at the sight and said something like, "that's gotta hurt." Star, however, saw her friend's plight and immediately drop-kicked Buff Frog away from her friend. She then turned towards the remaining Monsters, shouting "Mega Narwhal Blast!" blasting a stronger version of her Narwhal Blast, which managed to steamroll the rest of the Monsters, effectively ending the fight.

"This isn't over, Star Butterfly!" Ludo seeing that his minions have once again been beaten and failed to get the Wand opened a portal. Ludo's minions walked towards the portal groaning, grabbing their unconscious and frozen comrades before Ludo finally entered himself. "One day, I will have that wand!!" Ludo shouted before the portal closed.

After the portal finally closed, Star, Jackie, and Janna immediately ran over to Marco, who was clutching his arm, obviously in pain. "Marco, oh my God, are you alright?" Star asked worriedly.

"D-D-Don't worry about it, Star, nothing a little visit to the hospital couldn't fix" Marco forced a smile to calm down the worried princess despite the intense pain in his arm.

"Don't worry Marco, I'll go call a cab with my phone," Jackie said as she hastily pulled out her smartphone.

"Oh, there's no need Jackie. I can use my dimensional scissors to get us there", Star replied, grateful for the offer of help nonetheless.

As all this was happening, Marco was trying not to let the pain get to him, which was easier said than done. _God, this makes me wish I've already mastered my Biological Manipulation_, Marco thought to himself.

Marco had found an entry from the book that told that while Celestials do not possess any form of regeneration, they can use their ability to manipulate organic matter to heal or repair themselves manually.

_That ability could be helpful right now_, Marco said to himself as the four stepped through the portal.

* * *

The next day, the four friends were hanging out in Star's room. Principal Skeeves had given him the day off from school to rest since his arm was now in a cast. The others had volunteered to stay behind to look after him while his Dad went out. Well, Janna didn't; she just used the whole thing as an excuse to ditch school.

"I can't believe that frog dude broke your dang arm, Marco," Janna said as she was busy playing a game on her phone.

"*groan* Don't remind me, Janna. The next I see him, I am going for him first. And he is going to get a taste of this! Hi-Yah!" Marco said as he angrily chopped a stack of three boards with his uninjured arm.

"Hey Marco, you sure you should be moving around so much with your arm like that?" Jackie worriedly asked while sitting near Star. Star was using her magic to style the two's hair, alternating between pig-tails or ponytails.

"Probably not, but I'm just so frustrated right now," Marco said though he did stop moving and laid back down on Star's bed. "My Tournament's in two days, and I'll never be able to compete in it like this. Then Jeremy Birbaum's going to say I wussed out and never let me hear the end of it!"

"Who's Jeremy Birbaum?" Star asked.

"Oh, he's this little creep that goes to my dojo and thinks he's better than everyone because his wealthy parents get him private lessons and the best equipment."

"He's not lying about the creep part, Star. He tried hitting on me once when I came to watch Marco's classes, and Marco proceeded to karate chop him into the ground", Jackie shuddered as he remembered what happened.

"And he's had it out for me ever since!" Marco added, "Now he's gonna hold this over me forever!"

At this point, Janna stopped playing on her phone and looked up Star, who's hair now had a mix of pig-tails and ponytails. "Hey Star, you know, you could just use that Wand of yours to fix Marco's arm."

"Hmm, I don't know, Janna. That kind of spell's a little outside my comfort zone." Star then nibbled on the bell of her Wand, trying to think of a solution." "OOH, WAIT A MINUTE! I think I know a way to help!" Star then excitedly made her way to her bed and, with a grunt of effort, pulled out what appeared to be a book about a foot thick and two feet high that was brown and had a figure eight in the front with a bluish-purple gem in each hole of the eight.

"Whoa," the other three could only say. "Okay, I'll bite. What is this", Janna finally asked.

"This, Janna Banana, is the Book of Spells. Whenever a Queen or Princess learns something new or comes up with a new spell, they write down in here for future generations to learn from! It's been in my family since it started who knows how many years ago."

_Huh, so it's like the book Milly Sparkles gave me then_, Marco thought as he remembers the book that was given to him

"So, this book is potentially thousands of years old?" Jackie asked.

"Well, this isn't the original one. The original when our first castle burned down 3-400 years ago. So my ancestor, Skwynne, had to start a new one." Star said as if that was nothing to be worried about.

"All right, let's see what it says about healing spells," Star said as she opened up the book, causing dust to spray everywhere, causing everyone to cough. "Sorry, it's usually much more organized." Star apologized.

"Ah, here is the section on healing spells. Let's see; how to cure the rat cough, getting rid of slime pimples, taking care of pineapple foot, preparing a dish of psalm soup, ah-ha how to fix a broken bone!" Star then reads the instruction before looking to Marco with a grin. "Now present to me your arm, please."

Marco hesitantly held out his arm while Jackie and Janna took a step back, not wanting to be caught in whatever was about to happen.

"Releasio Demonius Infestica!" Star said while a blast from the Wand started covering Marco's arm in bright light.

"Ohhhh, it's working, Star! I can feel the bone healing!" Marco and Star smiled, watching the whole process.

Janna and Jackie, though, took a few more steps back. The other day, Star had almost ruined their annual football game with their rival team, the Warriors, by setting up b*-traps on the field. No one had thought to explain to her that football was just a game, forcing her and Marco to run clean-up. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the Warriors ended up forfeiting when they ran away. Still, they didn't want to be caught in another mess like that.

Finally, the light subsided, only instead of Marco's arm being healed, something else entirely had happened. Instead of his healthy arm, in its place was a giant, slimy purple octopus tentacle.

Everyone stood silent for a few seconds before Marco eloquently summed up what everyone was thinking.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!" He screamed, which led to everyone else screaming, especially Star.

"STAR! WHAT DID YOU DO?!?" Marco asked, now freaking out. _This is bad! If Star can't fix my arm, there's no way I'll be able to do it! I could be stuck like this forever!_

"I-I don't know. Maybe I read the spell wrong" Star finally managed to get out as she looked at the page again. "Well, can you change it back?!?" Jackie asked, now freaking out at the sight of her friend's arm looking like something out of an adult-rated anime special.

"Meh. I wouldn't be too worried about it. This seems like an improvement". Janna said while shrugging. Truthfully, she was enjoying this whole thing.

"Don't worry, Marco. There's got to be a spell in here to fix your arm." Star now hurriedly flipped through the Book of Spells, hoping to find something. She didn't get far, though, as the tentacle arm proceeded to throw the Book to the side, narrowly missing Janna as it made a hole in the wall as it flew outside.

"Okay. This may be harder than I thought." Star said, her whole face deadpan as she said it.

As it became apparent that Marco had no control over his new arm, Jackie and Janna looked on nervously. "Hey, Jackie, didn't you say you had that thing you had to do this afternoon? We should probably get to it." Janna said in a knowing tone.

"Wait, you want to leave? I thought this whole thing was right up your alle-" Jackie didn't get a chance to finish that sentence before Janna interuppted.

"Look, I've seen enough anime on streaming sites to know where things with tentacles tend to go, and as hilarious as they may be, I refuse to end up in that kind of situation," Janna whispered to her friend who finally understood what she meant."

"Oh, yeah, right. Let's bail.", Jackie replied in a hushed tone.

"Well, you guys seem to be busy, and we wouldn't want to get in the way of this, so we gotta go! See you guys at school tomorrow!" The two girls then hurriedly made their exit.

"Great. Now I got to go to school like this." Marco groaned.

Star stood up and then looked at Marco dead in the eye. "Don't you worry, Marco. I swear on your collection of Mackie Hand dolls-" "They're action figures!" "-that I will find a way to turn your arm back to normal! Now, I must go to retrieve my other family heirloom, or else my parents will kill me." Star then ran out of her room to get her Book of Spells, leaving Marco alone with his new "Monster Arm" as it proceeded to thrash around, leaving the young hybrid to sigh in resignation.

"Wish I mastered biological manipulation right about now."

* * *

The next morning, Marco woke up feeling like absolute garbage. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep with that Monster Arm flopping around. Not did it make a lot of noise, but it also got this mucus all over his bedsheets, ruining them. He could always use his powers to clean them, but it was the principal of the matter. At one point, he tried using his skills to restrain it to the wall, but somehow, it managed to wriggle it's way out. Ergo, he woke up feeling like crap. Then to add insult to injury, the Arm got slime all over him!

_If I could regenerate or make myself a new arm, I'd cut this bloody thing off right now_, Marco thought as he headed to the bathroom. That was even worse. He had to wash all the slime off with one arm while the other one kept getting in the way, smacking the soap out of his hand. Then without warning, the tentacled menace turned the water up to boiling hot, scalding him and causing him to scream like crazy.

After finally managing to get out while looking boiled like a lobster, Marco had trouble getting dressed. He ended up having to enlarge his shirt and hoodie so he could slip his freaky appendage inside the sleeve. Even so, he was worried he might never be able to wear them again, even with his powers to clean them.

Breakfast proved to be a no-go, as well. The Arm just smacked everything off the table, creating a huge mess. It even managed to pour orange juice on his head.

_This feels like absolute torture! Maybe I should just skip school today_. Marco's thoughts were interrupted, though, when he saw Star come to the table.

"*yawn* morning Monster Arm, morning Marco. So, I stayed up all night looking through the Spell Book, but I couldn't find anything. Also, it turns out that spell came from Crescenta's chapter, and she came up with a lot of weird spells. But don't worry, I'll find a way to get rid of your arm, no problem."

"Please hurry. I don't know how much longer I can deal with this." Marco responded as the Monster Arm continued to make a mess of things.

Against his better judgment, Marco decided it wouldn't be worth the potential detention to skip out on school. Emphasis on the "better judgement," as the minute he got on the bus, people started giving him weird looks. He was too tired to care about them, though.

"Morning, Diaz," Janna said as she got on the bus. "So did Star manage to fix your ar--ohhhh." The words died in Janna's mouth as she saw him that the arm was still a problem. "So, I'll take that as a no." She said awkwardly.

"Yeah, Star spent all night trying to find a counterspell, but no luck. And I was kept up all night by this thing." The hoodie-wearing boy said while pointing to his Monster Arm. "By the way, I heard what you said to Jackie yesterday, and no, it's not that kind of tentacle."

"Oh, good. I mean, I'm into weirdness, but I'm not ready for something like that." Janna quickly said, trying to drop the subject.

The looks Marco got on the bus became a recurring trend throughout the day, with even some of the teachers giving him faces that said "whaaaa?" Marco did his best to ignore them, and at least Jackie and Janna tried to comfort him.

Having gone without breakfast, lunch could not have come soon enough for Marco. It was hard trying to carry his tray with one arm, but somehow, Marco was able to do so. As he and Star were making their way to a table, though, they came across the last person they wanted to see: Lars Vanderdud.

Lars was, to put it bluntly, the stereotypical school bully. He was a big bruiser who would probably amount to little in life, yet no one was tough enough to say that to his face. Even Marco gave him a wide berth, though, again, he could probably beat him up if he wanted to. And right now, he was laughing himself silly after shoving a poor student's face into his lunch.

Usually, Marco would try and help the kid, but even his Celestial-enhanced nervous system was tired after what happened to him lately. _Just walk away, Marco. Don't let him see you._

However, it seemed that the message was lost on Star, as she just marched right up to Lars and gave him a piece of her mind.

"Hey, you leave that kid, alone, j*! Or you'll have to answer to me!"

Lars just scowled when he heard someone trying to stand up to him, but once he saw that it was Star, he just started grinning.

"Oh, and what's the pretty little Princess going to do about i-." Lars never got a chance to finish that sentence, as he got sucker-punched across the face.

"ALL RIGHT, WHO DID THAT?!?"

It took Marco a second or two to process it, but he realized that the Monster Arm had been the one to punch the bully. All he could say was "Uh" as he pointed to the arm.

"NOBODY PUNCHES LARS VANDERD-." Again, Lars didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. The Monster Arm extended itself once more and proceeded to b*-slap him nine times in a row. Finally, having enough, Lars ran away crying. As for the Arm, it picked the poor kid up and proceeded to clean the food off his face as everyone tried to process what happened.

"I, sir, am in your debt." The boy gratefully said.

"Oh my gosh, Marco, that was amazing." Star excitedly with Jackie chiming in. "Yeah, man, super cool."

The next thing Marco knew, people started crowding around him and started praising him and complimenting him. Above all, though, they wanted to touch his weird Monster Arm. A few girls even asked if the Arm could be their boyfriend.

_Huh, maybe this Arm thing isn't so bad after all_, Marco thought as he smiled and soaked up the praise. _But I wonder why it went for Lars when he tried to go after Star?_ Marco knew that Star could handle an idiot like Lars, but seeing him stare her down made him instinctively want to protect Star.

Almost like the Arm reacted to my thoughts. Could it be because of my Celestial Genes? Marco mentally shook off those thoughts for the time being. After all, he still had to eat lunch, and with the Arm under control, he could finally do so!

* * *

Marco must have spoken too soon, or he managed to jinx himself. Either way, as soon as lunch was over, the Monster Arm started wriggling around everywhere again. Fortunately, it seemed far more subdued, not smashing into everything. This calmer nature brought no small amount of relief to Marco.

As Star and Marco were walking down the hallways, Star couldn't help but get excited over what she had glimpsed.

" Oh my gosh, Marco, that was amazing! That j* was all like' what you were going to do about it, little brat?' and then your Arm was all like' hahh, wham, chop, and bam!' It was so cool!" Star gushed while making karate noises.

" I know, Star, I was there." Marco remarked while playfully rolling his eyes in amusement." Still, I hope we can fix this. My tournament is tomorrow, and I can't precisely fight with this," gesturing to the flopping Arm.

" Don't worry, Marco." Star said while casually tossing her Wand back and forth between her hands." I got this whole thing under controllll-" Star seemed to get stuck on that last word, dropping her Wand and just staring ahead at something with her mouth open.

" Um, Star, are you okay," Marco asked, waving his good arm in front of her eyes, trying to get her to react." Marco, Who. Is. That?" Star asked as she grabbed his arm and pointed it forward towards what she was fixated on.

The thing that Star was referring to was a teenage boy standing a few feet away from them. He had on a brown shirt, a red scarf, and torn grey jeans. His hair covered his eyes, and for some reason, he had two fangs on either side of his mouth. At the moment, he was leaning against some lockers, quietly strumming away at a keytar in his hands.

" Him? Oh, that's just Oskar Greason. He's Echo Creek Academy's wannabe rock star. Why?" Marco asked, curious about the awestruck look. "Um, you know, he's an acquaintance of mine. Do you want to go talk to hi-" YES PLEASE! LET'S DO IT RIGHT NOW", Star said, practically yelling as she grabbed Marco's non-Monster Arm as she ran to Oskar.

As soon as they made it over to him, Oskar looked up to them, not stopping with his practice. "Oh, hey, Marco. Wassup?" He said as he (apparently) looked up at them.

"Hey, Oskar. Long time no see, man. You know, those lessons you got seem to be paying off." Marco mentioned, trying his best to ignore the goo-goo eyed mess Star was at his side.

"Yeah, no kidding. Ever since I got those lessons you suggested, my music's gotten a lot better. Thanks for the advice. By the way, I like what you've done with your arm." the boy said, pointing to Marco's Monster Arm, which was quietly resting by his side.

"You mean this?" Marco said, gesturing to the sleeping tentacle thing. "Oh no, this wasn't my choice. See, I broke my arm yesterday, so my friend here offered to fix it, and this was the result." Marco replied to the fanged teen. "Still, it did help me send Lars packing at lunch." the hoodie-wearing teen added, not realizing he had a bit of smug look on his face.

"So that explains why I saw Lars running down the hallway crying just now. About time someone took that dude down a notch. Respect, man." Oskar held his hand to give Marco a high-five, which the teen readily returned.

"By the way, are you gonna introduce me to your friend, man?" Oskar then asked, gesturing to Star, who by now was a lovesick mess.

"Oh, yeah. Oskar, this is my roommate, best friend, and Magical Princess, Star Butterfly."

"So you're the cool girl that everyone's been talking about. What's up?"

If you could look at Star right now, you would swear the circuits in her brain were frying. "Y-you think I'm c-cool? *gasp*".

"Yeah. Everyone does. Plus, you got those cool horns."

Star couldn't stop squeeing.

"Say, Oskar, if you're interested, wanna come to watch me at my karate tournament tomorrow? I'm up against Jeremy Birnbaum, and with my arm like this, I'm gonna need all the support I can get."

"Sure, man. It's been a while since we hung out, anyway."

"Awesome. I'll see you there after school tomorrow. Later." Marco said a little bit happier knowing he'd see Oskar there. "Come on, Star, I think it's about time for us to head home."

Star, realizing what was happening, seemed to snap back to reality. "WAIT! Before we do, here!" She hastily scribbled down a phone number on a post-it note and shoved it into Oskar's hands. "Call me!" She said before skipping away with Marco.

"Well, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you have a crush on Oskar," Marco asked as soon as they were out of earshot distance.

"Ooooohhh, yeah. And I can't thank you enough for inviting him to your tournament tomorrow. And now I can look forward to hearing from him tonight!" Star squeed again, practically bouncing up and down.

"By the way, how do you know Oskar anyway?"

"Well, about a year ago, Principal Skeeves asked me to tutor Janna and another student in some classes they'd been failing. And Oskar turned out to be that other student. Given what you'd know about us, you'd think we wouldn't be friends, but we wound up bonding over music. After that, we just started hanging out." Marco explained carefully.

"Well, hopefully, you'll be seeing him a whole lot more, especially after I call him tonight!" Star excitedly said.

"Uh, shouldn't you be working on this, though," Marco said, pointing to the arm.

"Oh, relax, Marco. I can multitask!" the girl retorted, brushing it off like it was the most natural thing in the world. "By the way, I'm going to need your phone. That number I gave him goes to it."

"What? Why didn't you just give him the house phone number?" Marco asked, skeptical as to why she'd give him his phone number.

"I like your ringtone better. Space unicorns, soaring through the skies..". Star said, humming his ringtone.

"Ugghh, it's supposed to be ironic. Let's just get home so we can get rid of this thing, and I can be ready to fight Jeremy."

* * *

Later that night, Marco was in his room, doing his usual training with his powers. However, due to the tentacle arm, it proved to be harder since Marco was unable to focus because of the monster arm frequently moving around on its own.

"Dang it," Marco said in frustration as the Mackie Hand figurine he was levitating dropped to the ground for the fifth time."This is usually so easy when I can focus adequately," Marco said, looking at the monster arm with an annoyed look. Try as he might, he couldn't get it to sit still again.

_What do I have to do to get this thing to listen to me? If I had better control of my powers, I could fix this myself._ Marco hoped that Star would be able to find a way to fix his arm, even if she was going to try and talk to Oskar as much as possible.

Marco then started thinking of what he's going to do to Buff Frog the next time he sees him until he heard the familiar sound of a portal opening from the backyard.

As soon as Marco heard this, he immediately made his way to the backyard, though when he opened his bedroom door, he saw Star leaving her room as well. Without saying anything, they both made their way to the backyard where they saw Ludo and his minions exiting the portal.

As soon as Marco saw Buff Frog, all the frustration he had built up over the last day or so seemed to boil over.

"Star Butterfly, I have come for the Wa-" Ludo started before he saw Marco's arm " Woah, What is wrong with him?" Ludo said, pointing at the tentacle arm.

"Oh, this thing?" Marco got out, never losing the angry look he had on his face. "Well, you have your frogman to thank for this. And for what I'm about to do to you!" Marco angrily yelled before leaping at the group of monsters. Unfortunately, since Ludo was in front, he took the full force of the kick, effectively knocking him out.

"Why didn't I hang in the back like I normally do" Ludo squeaked out before fainting.

This moment surprised everyone there, Star and Monsters. After a second of processing what happened, Star shouted out, "Nice one Marco!". She then began blasting the monsters with her Wand.

Marco, meanwhile, was confronted by Beard Deer and Three-eyed Potato Baby, "Why is it that I always get confronted by you two?" Marco says, curious as to why they always came to him first. They just looked and then gave him an "I don't know" shrug before resume their battle poses. However, because of the tentacle arm, Marco began having a more difficult time when he should have been decking the two in the schnoz. Especially considering he had to drag the Monster Arm like a dead weight, before eventually tripping on it.

Seeing their chance, the two monsters proceeded to punch Marco, but instead, they were stopped by the Monster Arm blocking their fists. Marco was surprised by this at first; he then tried to use it to attack the two monsters. To his relief, the tentacle is now willing to follow his commands. The two monsters got double b*-slapped by the Arm, sending them flying towards the group of monsters that were attacking Star, knocking them out.

"Woah, thanks, Marco," Star said before continuing to fight. "Anytime, Star."

Marco felt some pride at what he just did, only to turn into anger when he saw Buff Frog. Remembering how he wanted to get even with Ludo's lieutenant for what happened, the Monster Arm seemed to extend and grabbed Buff Frog by his thick waist. It then proceeded to smack him into the ground in a way that mimicked a superhero beating up a villain in a particular movie. The other monsters seeing this started backing off towards their still unconscious leader.

Marco then walked over to the semi-conscious monster, who nervously smiled at the boy as he was picked up once again. "That was payback for yesterday." Marco then threw Buff Frog to the other monsters, who began to outright panic.

At this point, one of the monsters grabbed Ludo's scissors and proceeded to open a portal; then, they retreated with some carrying an unconscious Buff Frog and Ludo.

"Marco, that was amazing!" Star said excitedly, "And how were you able to use the monster arm?" questioned Star.

"Honestly? I have no idea. I just did," Marco answered while stretching the monster arm, which was no longer moving on its own.

"Anyway, as cool as this is, have you found a way to turn my arm back to normal. I still have my tournament tomorrow," questioned Marco. "Or were you just talking to Oskar all night?" He then added.

"Oh, about that" Star smiles nervously. "I haven't found it yet, but I assure you by tomorrow I'll be able to turn your arm back to normal," Star said. "And for the record, I was multitasking, but now I will focus on your arm full-time," reassuring Marco.

"Okay, I trust you, anyway I'm going back to my room it is getting late," Marco says as he makes his way back to his room.

"Sure thing, Night Marco!" Star yelled! "Oh man, I hope Oskar didn't hang up on me!" She then hurried back to her room, hoping to finish her conversation before finding the spell to fix Marco's arm

Back in Marco's room, Marco was currently looking at a page from the book Milly Sparkles gave him that describes the biology manipulation of the Celestials.

"Okay, let's see here. In addition to the Celestials' ability to manipulate organic matter, this allows them the ability to shapeshift as well as alter the biology of others." Upon reading the last part, Marco again thought of using this ability to turn his arm back to normal but then realized that if he messed up, he might end up making it worst. Might as well wait for Star to find that counterspell, Marco thought to himself as he puts the book away and goes to bed.

However, for some reason, Marco was having trouble trying to go to sleep. When he felt the tentacle moving on its own and started wrapping itself around him, he started hearing whispers. At first, he didn't pay any attention to this until he remembered his encounter with Milly Sparkles.

Marco started listening intently to the whispers, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand it until he heard an amused chuckle.

"Star, is that you?" Marco called out, assuming that maybe it was just Star until the voice finally spoke up.

"No, it is me."

When Marco heard this, he immediately opened his eyes to see the monster arm now by his side has a mouth while smirking.

"What the heck?" Marco says with his mouth wide open

"Do not be alarmed, Marco, it is only me."

"Monster Arm?" Marco says with a look of confusion

"Correct, but at the same time, I am also you. Or at least part of you," the monster arm answered.

"Part of me? How?" Marco asks while getting a suspicious look.

"Well, I am your arm, shouldn't that be obvious?" replies the monster arm.

Marco simply nodded until he realized something. "Hey! if you're a part of me, what was all that stuff about earlier this morning?" Marco questioned with slight anger to his tone. "You burned me in the shower, ruined my breakfast, and ruined my hoodie!"

"I would like to apologize for that. You see, when Star created me, I was not familiar with the world around me, kinda like a newborn baby, you know," the monster arm explained with sincerity in his voice.

" Well, if you put it that way, I can't blame you then," Marco answered in understanding.

"Which is why I want to make it up to you," the monster arm said

"How?" Marco said with curiosity as to how this arm could make it up to him.

"I can help you with Ludo and his minions. I can help you with teaching that Jeremy kid a lesson."

"Yeah, it would be easier, especially with how strong you are," Marco couldn't help but agree.

"I can also help you with mastering your latent power."

When Marco heard this, he was immediately alarmed.

"Do not worry, Marco. as I said, I am a part of you, so I know about your abilities as well as your difficulties with mastering it."

Marco kept quiet while giving the arm a skeptical look.

"I know that we are supposed to keep it a secret, but I also know that you plan on telling Star one day. So please give me a chance to prove myself," the monster arm said with a severe tone.

"Okay fine, I'll give you a chance" Marco relented

"Thank you, Marco, now off to bed with you. You still have that tournament tomorrow."

Marco simply nodded and yawned before finally going back to sleep.

The tentacle then chuckled darkly before thinking to itself. _While I don't know what exactly you are yet Marco, the power you possess will help me a lot._

•••

Marco's Celestial Codex.

Biology Manipulation

The Celestials have displayed the ability to manipulate or alter organic matter. With the use of this ability Celestials were able to help Civilizations that were unable to adapt to their environment by altering their biology to suit their surroundings.

•••

* * *

**_AUTHORS NOTE:_**

**_RJWritingInk:_****_Hey guys, J here with another commentary. At first, ROTHEM and I debated if he should include Oskar in this story or just write him out like Alfonso and Fergurson. Though we decided it would just be better to have him in, but to give him an actual personality._**

**_Also, if you recognize the movie that's referenced when Marco's pummeling Buff Frog, then you get the Excelsior Medal of Excellence. And yes, that's also a hint._**

**_Rothem:_****_I agree with him. Anyways he also told me that I should respond to reviews on my story so here they are_**

**_ImafanofFANFICTIONS- I'm glad you love it and hope you continue to read the story._**

**_OmegaDelta- they will be revealed in time._**

**_Starco4everr- I'm glad you like it._**

**_martyrex- thanks a lot_**

**_bruzex- don't worry me and RJ will continue this for as long as we can._**

**_Shaeril Mcbrown-_** thank you

**_So anyway please feel free to leave a review on the story as they are always appreciated._**


	10. Monster arm part 2

The very next morning, Marco was busy in his room when he suddenly heard the familiar voice of his best friend.

"Marco!" Star yelled while running towards Marco's room. In her hands was a potted plant with an arm growing out of it. When she reached his room, she kicked open the door to Marco's room, only to see him doing push-ups with his tentacle arm surprising her in the process.

"998, 999, 1000!" Marco counted before standing up, still panting before noticing Star "Morning Star, what brings you to my room?"

"Oh, right! Look, Marco, I did it!" Star said excitedly while presenting to him the potted arm. "It took me all night, but I was able to finally the spell that I could fix your arm!" Star said with a proud look on her face. "I also managed to find a spell that gave me a full eight hours of sleep, so now I'm not tired anymore! "Now, just present to me your arm and I'll turn it back to normal," Star instructed while readying her Wand.

"Star, I think I'm fine with this arm," Marco said while gesturing to the tentacle. Star looked at him, shock written on her face before it turned to concern as she spoke up, "Um Marco, I don't think you have fully thought this through." Marco stopped looking back at Star with confusion.

"Um, why is this not a good thing now, Star? I mean it wasn't enjoyable, but now it's proving helpful to me. Watch." Marco then walked over to several stacked pieces of wood before he proceeded to break all the boards in one chop easily.

"This tentacle can even help me with teaching that Jeremy creep a lesson along with Ludo and his goons," Marco said with a smug look which disappeared when he saw Star's worried face.

"What's wrong, Star?" Marco said in a concerned tone.

"The thing is these types of spells tend to have negative side effects when they don't work, Marco. I'm afraid it'll be a bad influence on you."

Marco then spoke up, "Actually, Star, last night, the Arm managed to communicate with me. It told me that it wants to make up for all the stuff it did earlier". Star got a skeptical look on her face.

" Look, I'll prove it to you" Marco then looked at the tentacle "Come on, tell Star what you told me last night."

"..." (cue that cricket noise that shows do for awkward silences)

"Hey, what's the big idea? I thought you wanted to make it up to me," Marco asked in a frustrated tone while shaking the tentacle.

"Marco-" Star said before being interrupted by Marco.

"Star, please just give me a chance to prove it to you," Marco said in a pleading tone with a determined look.

Seeing this, Star got a thoughtful look on her face before sighing, "Fine; I'll give you a chance, Marco."

"Thanks, Sta-"

"But I'll be keeping an eye on that thing," Star said while pointing at the tentacle with a stern look.

"Okay, I understand, Star. Now could you please give me some privacy. I need to get dressed for the tournament," Marco said.

"Oh, right, sorry," Star said while stretching her arms before heading back to her room.

As soon as Star left, Marco spoke up. "What the heck, man? Why didn't you tell Star what you told me last night?" Marco said in an irritated voice.

The Monster Arm moved upright, forming a mouth again before speaking. "I am very sorry about that. It's just that I am not yet ready to talk with other people other than you," it said in a soft tone.

"You know what, don't worry about it," Marco said, sighing as he put on his karate uniform. Once he had it on, he called to Star as He then calls Star before they make their way towards the Dojo while the tentacle had one thought: _Idiots_.

* * *

At the Dojo Star got into a stand of bleachers that had been set up for people to view the tournament. It took her a second or two to find Jackie and Janna, but she saw them and made her way to where they were sitting. The two girls both turned to greet Star.

"Hey, Star, so were you able to fix Marco's Monster Arm?" questioned Jackie in a chill tone.

Star chuckled nervously before answering, "Oh yeah, about that well this morning when I finally figured out how to turn the arm back to normal, Marco told me that he was okay with his arm being like that.

Jackie and Janna got a confused look before Star continued, "Marco told me that the arm communicated to him or whatever and that it wanted to make it up to him. I told him it was a bad idea, but I'm at least going to give him a chance. Besides, if anything happens, I can just zap his arm." At that point, though, Star was too distracted, looking around for someone.

Janna chuckled before she told Star, "If you're looking for Oskar, he's not here yet," smirking.

"Aw, I was hoping that I could talk to him for a bit," Star said in a sad tone.

Jackie spoke up at this. "Don't worry, Star, this is normal for him. According to what Marco told me, at least, he's not exactly an early bird when it comes to stuff like this."

Star smiled, thankful for how thoughtful her friend was. Ever since she came to Earth, she had become one of the most popular kids in Echo Creek Academy. While many people loved her (and she loved them back), she was glad to include Jackie, Janna, and Marco as her close friends. _And hopefully, I can add Oskar to that list soon._

Thinking of the keytar wearing boy suddenly made Star realize something. "Wait, how do you know about that, Janna?" Star asked.

"Oh, I hid a camera on Marco's hoodie a while back. The video feed stopped working, but I can still get audio thanks to this app on my phone." the girl said while holding her smartphone. Then Janna realized something, as well.

"Wait, if you didn't turn Marco's arm back to normal, does that mean?"

Star simply nodded before Jackie spoke up. "This should be interesting."

"Oh yeah. Hey Star, mind whipping up some popcorn for us? I don't want to miss this!"

"I don't know what you guys are talking about, but it sounds like something I don't want to miss either." As soon as Star heard that voice, she could swear she felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly turned around, and there was Oskar Greason.

"O-Oskar! You came!" Star said, trying to be as calm as possible. Which wasn't easy when you felt your heart beating so fast it would fly out of your chest.

"Of course, I did. Anything to support my man Marco." Oskar said with a calm smile on his face. "Janna, long time no see! Sup Jackie? Did I miss Marco's fight?"

At that moment, Marco's Sensei came out to announce the two combatants.

"Nope looks like your just in time, Oskar," Jackie replied.

"Allow me to introduce our first competitor, Jeremy Birnbaum." The Sensei gestured with his arm to the right side of the floor. There stood a six-foot-tall figure covered in a blue cloak, with a butler on either side of him. One butler was holding a glass of water which the figure was drinking from while the other gave him a shoulder massage as if prepping him for the fight. The figure snapped its fingers, and the two butlers backed off, pulling off the cloak revealing… a boy of around eight or so standing on a footstool about as tall as he was. He had blond hair and blue eyes and was wearing a white robe, like one would see on a martial arts fighter, but with a black belt and red finger-less gloves. He approached the center of the area with a predatory grin on his face smacking his gloved fists together with Star looking on in confusion.

"That's Jeremy Birnbaum?" Star questioned in confusion, not believing what she sees.

"Yep," Janna answered.

"How could that kid be Marco's rival? He's like, eight years old!"

"Yeah, but his parents are one of the richest families in town, so they got him special lessons and training, so he's already a black belt. He looked down on Marco from the start, and Marco treated him like a pest. That is until we came to watch him practice one day." Janna remarked.

Jackie couldn't help but groan, remembering how awful that day was. "Unfortunately for me, that kid took one look at me and thought it was love at first sight. After class, he started trying to hit on me and wouldn't take a hint. Thankfully, Marco saw it and told me to come to his next class, saying he'd handle it."

"A few agonizing days later, we showed up, and Marco KOed him in one hit. It was hilarious!" Janna added.

"I wouldn't say hilarious, Janna, but yeah, it did feel good to watch. Afterwards, Marco looked him dead in the eye and told him 'stay away from my friend. Got it?'". Jackie couldn't help but smile at that memory.

"I managed to record the whole thing, and after I posted it online, it went viral! It had to be the most embarrassing moment of Birnbaum's life!" Janna said. "Since then, the little runt's made it his life's goal to make Marco miserable."

"Yeah, well, I doubt that Marco considers him much of a threat, man. I mean, look at him." Oskar said, pointing to Marco. The girls turned to see they had talked through Marco's introduction. There he was, standing with the Monster Arm seeming to be obedient by his side. The audience had gasped in alarm at the arm with a few women looking at it, smiling with an interest of some kind. Janna took a photo with her phone, remarking, "this is gonna be my new screensaver."

(What is it with girls and tentacles?)

"Hey, wait! He's got that weird tentacle arm thing! That's not fair!" Jeremy shouted while pointing at the arm.

"I know, pretty cool right," Sensei Brantley said as he looked at the Arm in awe.

"Aw, what's wrong, Jeremy? Is Mr. Black Belt afraid to lose like last time?" Marco said, taunting the kid.

Upon hearing this, Jeremy rubbed a sore spot on his neck with an angry look before going into a fighting stance with Marco doing the same.

The Sensei then raised his arm before speaking, "Let this be a fair match with no tricks on either side." He fixed a stern gaze on both the competitors before dropping his hand. "FIGHT!".

Jeremy then leaped to launch a kick to Marco's face in hopes of knocking him out immediately, only for Marco's tentacle arm to catch Jeremy's before spinning him around and throwing him across the room.

" Point Diaz," the Sensei said as Jeremy then got up and charged Marco; however, before he could get far, Marco's Arm simply smacked him aside, earning another point for Marco.

Before Jeremy could stand up, Marco picked him up with his tentacle arm and brought him closer to him.

"Where are your private lessons now, you little creep?" Marco said with an angry tone.

The Monster Arm then opens his mouth and finally spoke up, "**Good, Marco, goood,"** the thing said in a very dark tone. **"Now, kill him."**

"What?!" Jeremy, Marco, the audience, and Marco's friends, all gasped said after hearing it say that. Or more like, everyone freaked out at the fact that the tentacle thing could talk.

"Wait, you were serious, Star? Can it talk? I thought you were joking!" Janna said, more confused than worried.

"Firstly, why would I make that up, Janna. Secondly, this can't be good!" Star replied, reaching for her Wand.

Meanwhile, Marco finished processing what he had just heard. _What am I doing? I know Jeremy's a creep, but even he doesn't deserve this much treatment_, Marco thought while looking at the many bruises he has caused the 8-year-old boy.

**"Do it!"** The Arm said, its tone now far angrier.

"I...I... he doesn't deserve this, this isn't right," Marco said.

**"Of course he deserves this, not only is he a 'creep,' but he's also a CHEATER!!"** the tentacle arm said before dropping Jeremy to the ground and taking his gloves only to reveal brass knuckles hidden beneath.

Everyone gasped at what they saw. "Are those brass knuckles?" Marco asked.

Jeremy, forgetting for the moment that his life was in incredible danger, smirked. "As if, loser. They're solid gold and tipped with diamonds. Only the best for yours truly." As soon as those words left his mouth, he realized he wasn't helping his case. "Oh, crud."

Marco, however, still refused to listen to the Arm "This isn't right I-" before Marco could say any more, the tentacle arm growled at him revealing its rows of sharp teeth that could bite a person's head clean off.

**"Pathetic! If you won't do it, then I will!!"** the tentacle arm growled before lunging at Jeremy.

"No!" both Marco and Jeremy yelled as the monster arm attacked, however before it could reach the boy, it was hit by a flying narwhal that stops its assault.

Marco looks towards the crowd to see that Star has stopped the tentacle from killing Jeremy.

"Star! You were right. This arm is evil!" Marco said while struggling to restrain the arm.

"Now, will you let me turn your arm back to normal?" Star asked despite knowing the answer already.

"Go on ahead," Marco said while forcing the monster arm to face Star's Wand.

Unfortunately, most of the people in the crowd began to panic and head for the exits. The only ones who stayed behind were Star and Marco's friends.

"Uh, shouldn't we be getting somewhere safe, guys?" Oskar asked. His eyes couldn't be seen, but by the expression on his face, you could tell they were filled with worry.

"Are you kidding me? I'm way too curious about what's going to happen next." Janna said. "Besides, I already started recording this, and I am not missing the ending!" True to her word, Janna already had her phone out filming everything.

"Fair enough."

"Returnio Armius Normalrino" Star blasted the arm with the intent of turning it back to normal. However, the Arm managed to get out of Marco's hold, causing the blast to narrowly miss Marco and blasting the floor next to Sensei Brantley, causing two arms to grow, which pounded their fist together, with Sensei bowing in respect.

**"Oh no, you don't, you brat,"** the Monster Arm said as it began to wrap itself around Marco's neck strangling him.

"Marco! Returnio Armius Nolmarino!" Star yelled, shooting another blast from the Wand, which the arm managed to dodge again, causing a punching bag to grow an arm.

The monster arm continues to dodge multiple blasts from the Wand, causing arms to grow all around the Dojo. Then, the Arm reached up to the ceiling and used its suction cups to latch on. It then swung Marco's body towards where Star and the others were located.

"Guys, look out!" Marco shouted in fear as the Arm formed a fist.

"Um, we should probably-" Jackie began to say.

"DODGE!" Star finished her sentence before pushing the three out of the way before moving herself. Marco and the Arm came down where they were sitting, shattering the bleachers. And just as bad, all of their stuff.

"My skateboard!"

"My keytar!"

"My Phone"

"Uggh, he's too wriggly!" Star groaned in frustration as she dodged a punch from the Arm. "Marco, can't you do anything to help?"

"I'm sorry, Star! It's like my body has a mind of its own now!" Marco said, his face filled with pain over the prospect of potentially hurting his friends.

The fight eventually brought them back to the arena where Star stood down the tentacled parasite, readying another spell.

"Okay, that's enough!" Marco yelled before using what little control he had over his body to pin the appendage to the ground. "Now, Star!"

"Returnio Armius Normalrinooooo!"

As the spell was about to make contact, it seemed to make one last attempt to avoid the hit.

Then, something weird happened.

Marco saw the world slowing down moments before the blast hits the Arm. _This is almost like what happened in the Bounce Lounge_, he thought. Suddenly, his vision seemed to get blurry as everything went black.

* * *

When Marco opened his eyes, he noticed that he was no longer in the Dojo, along with his arm, no longer being a tentacle as well. Instead, he was inside what appeared to be a massive cavern, so high up that he didn't think he could see the ceiling. He also noticed that there seems to be some sort of giant sphere core suspended in the air before him, surrounded by crystal-like rocks hovering around it.

Marco began taking in the details of the core before noticing that it seems to be emitting some sort of light blue energy.

_Where am I?_ Marco questioned as he continued to look around. That's when he noticed that a part of the sphere had some sort of dark-colored crystal in the shape of a skull attached to it, emitting a dark aura. Every time the crystal attempted to expand, it seemed to be prevented by the energy the sphere is emitting.

"What is this place?" Marco asked aloud as he walked around until he heard a familiar dark voice from behind.

**"Well, well, well, this is quite unexpected,"** the voice said from behind Marco.

When Marco turned around, he was shocked by what he saw. Standing in front of him was another Marco, except this one had purple skin, along with the fact that his right arm is a tentacle arm like the one he had.

"M-m-monster arm!" Marco said in shock while taking a step back.

**"In the flesh, so to speak!".** The purple counterpart opened its eyes and gave a grin that could only be described as psychotic. Scarier still, Marco realized it was speaking in the Arm's voice.

"But how? And why do you look like me?" Marco said in disbelief.

**"Did you think I would let you get rid of me that easily?"** Dark Marco spoke in a very dark, and very amused, tone.

"What is this place?" Marco asked his dark doppelganger, who was currently circling him like a shark.

**"If you must know we are in the Mindscape, your Mindscape to be specific,"** Dark Marco explained, all the while circling him like a shark bearing down on its next meal. **"Everyone in the universe has a mental area where everything that makes them who they can sit comfy and cozy. Their thoughts, their memories, their innermost fears"**. The evil doppelganger seemed to hiss out those last two words, chilling Marco to the bone. **"As for how we got here, I dragged you in before that blonde little brat could finish the job. As to why don't you worry your pretty little head about it. After all, you won't be around for much longer, anyway!"**

The Dark Marco then extended its arm towards Marco, far faster than it should have been able to. Without thinking, Marco materialized a massive shield in front of him, blocking the incoming attack.

**"Well, you managed to create that faster than most people would have. Looks right I was right about you being special, Marco Diaz, son of Rafael Diaz."** Dark Marco said with an annoyed expression on his face before quickly reverting to the grin it had before.** "No matter. Since we're in your mind, I can do the same. And after I've destroyed you and taken your body as my own, this will be the result!"** the dark being said, gesturing to itself.

Suddenly, it's other arm began to mutate into a second tentacle, matching the first's movements in a barrage of punches, shattering the shield. Marco then jumped as far back as he could, and before his dark half could do anything, he struck the ground. The earth began to rumble as a pair of giant fists rose from its depths, trying desperately to pound the evil being into a pulp. Unfortunately, Dark Marco proved to be too fast, dodging every hit, all while seeming to hum a tune to itself without a care in the world. Suddenly, it slipped between the giant fists and leaped towards Marco. Thinking quickly, the boy gathered more rocks, this time around his arms, so he could block the coming strike.

**"You know, I lucked out when that stupid girl conjured me onto you,"** the entity said as it delivered a flurry of attacks that kept Marco on the defensive.

"What are you talking about?" Marco said, struggling to defend even with his rock fists due to the tentacle arm's super strength.

**"I've been trying to figure out what you are since the moment I came into being,"** Dark Marco explained as he lashed out with one arm, Marco leaping into the air to avoid the blow. **"The real reason why I didn't answer that brat Star earlier was that I was too busy looking through your mind."**

Marco began to grow worried. _If this thing's been looking through my mind, it may have found what I am_.

**"That's when I finally made one AMAZING discovery about you," **dark Marco said with an evil grin.

Marco then got an alarmed look on his face before materializing a gauntlet on his right arm.

**"You should have told me that I was in the presence of a Celestial!"** Dark Marco said in a demonic voice.

Marco didn't say anything as he grabbed one of the arms, pulling Dark Marco towards him before punching him square in the face, sending Dark Marco falling to the ground, never once losing the psychotic grin on his face before chuckling to himself.

"What's so funny?" Marco questions as he glares at the Dark Marco.

**"Nothing, it's just that you possess the power of a god, and yet you choose to slum it here in this backwater, magicless dimension with a bunch of worthless nobodies! And you're fighting some little ant over a stupid belt!"** Dark Marco said as he continued to laugh.

"I am no god," Marco said with a serious look on his face.

**"Bitch, please. We both know that if you wanted to, you could've destroyed Jeremy, where he stood and taken everything he owned. But then again, you're not creative enough with your powers."** Dark Marco said while standing back up. **"I on the other hand-"**

Suddenly, the dark entity materialized a double-bladed lightsaber that he then threw towards Marco like some sort of buzzsaw. Luckily, he dodged it, but he couldn't shake the look of shock he had on his face.

"H-how did-"

**"Oh, come on, Marco. I'm a part of you, remember? But unlike you, I'm not inhibited by your notion of morality."** Floating in the air, Dark Marco materialized more weapons, including shotguns, bazookas, bows that shot arrows of light, giant shurikens, blaster rifles, and arm cannons from a popular video game series.

**"See, this is what happens when you don't hold back, and it's just a fraction of what you can do. You could reshape this planet to your desires, have everyone worship you and tend to your every whim, and have the most beautiful women by your side, yet you choose to hold yourself back!"** the being said as it launched all the weapons at Marco.

Marco brought even more of the shields from before, and while they managed to block the attacks, he suddenly felt a searing pain in his leg. Looking down, he saw that, to his horror, another Dark Marco had materialized out of the rocks and stabbed him through the leg with a dagger.

Yelling in pain, Marco fell to his knee, causing the shields to dissipate, leaving him to take the full brunt of the oncoming weapons. They proceeded to skewer him against the wall of the cave. In the air above, he saw that the crystal skull had begun to overtake the sphere of energy. His face was then abruptly brought back to his evil twin, now standing inches away from his face.

**"Don't worry, though. Once I take over your body, I'll make sure to use your powers better than you ever could"** Upon saying this, the dark crystals on the sphere then started expanding little by little around it.

Marco could only watch helplessly as the crystals started surrounding the sphere, all the while feeling his consciousness slip away forever this time.

**"With your power, first I'll lay waste to Earth. That will be a good warm-up for what I'm going to do to every other dimension in existence. I think the first place I'll go is the home of that friend of yours. "** dark Marco starts laughing maniacally before looking at Marco with a wide grin **"Oh yes, I'll especially enjoy what I plan to do to your pretty little friend, Diaz."**

Marco's eyes widen upon hearing this **"I'll keep her alive long enough to see me turn everything she knows and loves into ash. And when I finally end her life, the last thing she'll ever see is the face of the boy who used to be her friend."** dark Marco finished with a triumphant smirk. **"And once I have her Wand, no one in the universe will be able to stop me. I will rule over the universe forever, with no one left to stop me. Not even the other Celestials."**

"D-don't you even dare!" Marco managed to gasp out.

**"Oh? and what are you gonna do about it? You're weak! even with all this power, you couldn't even beat me!"**

Marco could feel rage throughout his body as the parasite threatens to destroy his home and his friends. But most of all, he felt rage at this monster that threatened to hurt Star.

Heartbeat sound*

Marco suddenly felt something coursing through his body, greater than the pain he felt from the weapons in his body.

**"What, what is happening?"** dark Marco said as the core of energy suddenly starts glowing brighter, causing the dark crystals to be pushed back before eventually returning to their small skull shape.

"You threaten my home and my friends" Dark Marco turns around to see the many weapons and bullet wounds on Marco's body had been destroyed as the boy stood before him. He noticed that Marco's eyes are no longer brown, but instead, they were completely black, with a light as bright as the stars in the galaxy swirling in the center.

Dark Marco attempted to use Marco's powers, only for nothing to happen this time. **"W-what's going on? Why I can't, I use your powers anymore?"**

Dark Marco turned around to see that core's energy had begun overwhelming the dark crystal attached to it, preventing him from drawing any more power from it.

He turned around to attempt to attack Marco with his arms. Before he could do anything, two chains suddenly materialize next to him, attaching themselves to each arm before connecting them to the ground forcing him to his knees as Marco slowly approached him.

**"You don't need to do this! I can help you if you let me live. We could be unstoppable together!"** Dark Marco pleaded in hopes of being spared from what it knew Marco was about to do.

Marco simply stops before speaking, "I don't need you," he said in a monotone voice before his arm suddenly morphs into a tentacle arm lacking a mouth and being white.

Dark Marco could only stare in shock before Marco's tentacle arm wrapped itself around his neck, strangling him. The dark figure Marco tried to use its own monster arms to break free from the chain. Before it could even struggle against its chains, Marco morphed his other hand into a blade before proceeding to cut off Dark Marco's arms, leaving them wriggling on the ground before drying up.

**"Arrrgghh!!!"** Dark Marco screamed as Marco's tentacle arm suddenly starts tightening its hold on his neck.

The last thing Dark Marco saw was Marco thrusting his blade arm towards his head before his lifeless body dropped to the ground at the same time, the dark crystal attached to the core shattered.

Marco pulled back his arms before turning them back to normal, with his eyes doing the same.

"Finally, it's over," Marco said while panting as he stares at the lifeless body of dark Marco.

"I wonder what that is, though, and I never exactly got to ask him," Marco said as he stares at the core, no longer glowing brightly. Suddenly he heard a voice call out.

"Marco!" a familiar girl's voice spoke.

"Is that?" before he could process who the voice is, the core suddenly releases a blinding light forcing him to close his eyes.

When Marco opens his eyes, he sees that he is back in the Dojo exactly moments before time was frozen for him. He saws the blast from Star's Wand about to hit his Monster arm. Except this time, it did not attempt to dodge it, almost as if it was lifeless.

After the blasts made contact with his arm, it began to shrink to normal, but still, it no longer made any movement at all before eventually turning back into his normal arm.

"My arm! Oh, how I've missed you," Marco said while hugging his arm " Hey, it's no longer broken too," Marco said while flexing his arm.

Star then approached Marco with a frown. Marco immediately sees this and spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Star, you were right. That tentacle was a bad influence. I should have listened to you," Marco said with an ashamed look.

"That's okay, Marco. You didn't know." Star said in a sincere tone.

Marco then looked around and saw that, somehow, the Dojo was still in one piece. The rest of the audience had left, though.

Sensei Brantley then approached Marco with a disappointed look before speaking, "You and Jeremy have brought shame and dishonor to this great and noble sport. 'Tis a sad day for strip mall dojos everywhere," Dojo Sensei said.

"Figures," Marco said deadpan while he sees Jeremy walk away angrily.

His other friends came over to express how relieved they all were that he was all right, with Jackie being the first to speak up. "Thank heavens, you're okay, Marco." His longtime friend then sadly looked at what was left of her skateboard. "Wish I could say the same about my board. This was my ride home."

"Yeah, my keytar got smashed by that tentacle thing. It looks like my music career's over before it began," Oskar added.

"Hey, at least you can replace your stuff, guys. I lost my phone! How am I gonna convince my parents to get me a new one?" Janna added.

"Oh, don't worry, guys. I know a place where you can get all of your stuff replaced." Star said.

"REALLY?!?" The three shouted at once.

"As much as I want to Star, I'm already exhausted for today, and we've still got school tomorrow. So what do you say we try again after school's done tomorrow?" Marco interjected.

"I'm fine with that," Star said. "What do you say, guys?"

The others nodded their heads in agreement.

"All right then, it's settled! We'll meet outside the school after we get out of classes!" Star said, pumping her fists in the air in anticipation.

"All right. See you all later, then." Marco said, as he and Star left the Dojo and began to walk home.

* * *

Later that night, Marco was lying in his bed, thinking about the mental fight he had with the Monster Arm.

_I know that fight was only in my mind, but I can't believe I was able to shapeshift even though it was just my arms. But what was that feeling I felt after monster arm threatened everyone, especially Star? I know it wasn't just anger since I was already feeling that before the Monster Arm started threatening everyone._

Unknown to Marco, his arm was slowly changing shape as he kept thinking about the Arm.

And there was that core as well. Whatever it was, it seemed connected to my powers. Now that I think about it, every time I used them, it seemed to glow brighter.

As Marco kept thinking about this, he realized that he could no longer feel his fingers. When he looked at his arm only to see a purple tentacle in its place

When Marco was about to call out Star's name in fear that the monster arm has returned, he noticed that it wasn't moving on its own and that it also lacked a mouth.

_I wonder if I could move it_. Without further thought, the arm followed Marco's command, extending itself to grab the Mackie Hand figurine on Marco's desk.

_This is awesome!_ Marco thought to himself. He then tried to see if he could turn it back to normal. After a second, it morphed back into his arm.

"Dad!" Marco yelled while running out of his room to tell his father about his discovery.

* * *

CELESTIAL JOURNAL

Shapeshifting- due to their ability to manipulate matter, Celestials are one of the few beings in the universe that are capable of shapeshifting. They do so by using their powers on their bodies, rearranging themselves to suit their desired form. This is a very difficult ability that can take an incredible amount of time to master though. While it is unknown if hybrids could be capable of full shapeshifting, it has been speculated that they may be able to transform different portions of their bodies into different objects or appendages to suit their needs.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:****Hey guys ROTHEM here back to you with another chapter. I would like to thank those of you who favorited and followed my story. Anyway I don't have anything else to say other than feel free to leave a review as well as favorite or follow this story for those of you who haven't yet. And now a message from my friend RJWritingInk.**

**Hey guys, it's me, your beta editor J here! I had an absolute blast working on this chapter, and I couldn't help but slip in some pop culture references. You can find them in the fight against Jeremy and the mental fight against Dark Marco. If you're familiar with Star Wars, video games, and a bunch of other movies, you'll be able to recognize them. Go ahead and guess them in the reviews. As for that core/sphere thing, I think ROTHEM plans on explaining later. Also, he said he didn't want to give Marco full shape-shifting powers because of his hybrid status. Personally, I think partial shapeshifting sounds cooler since he can give himself the arms of a gorilla and the legs of a kangaroo at the SAME TIME! Laters!**


	11. Quest Buy

School had just gotten out for the day at Echo Creek, and Star and Marco were standing outside near waiting for their trio of friends. Star was jumping up and down in excitement while Marco just stood there and watched.

"Marco! What's taking them so long!?" Star said unable to wait any longer

Marco merely chuckled at Star's excitement before speaking, "Relax, Star. I'm sure they'll be here soon. Besides, we just got out of class."

Star had told Marco that she was deadset on getting Oskar a new keytar. A keytar that would so impress him that he would have no choice but to go out with her. Then they get married, rule Mewni, and spend their days breeding warnicorns and introducing Earth music to Mewni.

_I'm pretty sure the last part was just wishful thinking. But when I had a crush on Jackie, I dreamed of spending our days with Jackie as a world-famous skater and me as her loving and supportive husband,_ Marco thought to himself.

"Sorry I'm late," a familiar voice spoke from behind the two. Marco and Star turned around to see that it was Oskar.

"Do my eyes deceive me, or did you manage to get here before Jackie and Janna?" Marco said jokingly.

"Haha, hilarious Marco," Oskar replied before looking at a now lovestruck Star "Sup Star."

" Oskaaarrr," Star said dreamily before snapping out of it. "I mean, uh- hey Oskar!" Star nervously said.

"So where's Jackie and Janna? I didn't think that I'd get here before them" Oskar said

"They'll be here soon. Speak of the devil; here they are now," Marco said, pointing behind Oskar.

"Hey guys, sorry we took so long. I had to wait for Janna to get out of detention," Jackie said while gesturing to Janna, who was walking beside her.

"Eh, not my fault Skullzy can't take a joke," Janna calmly said. "And it's not the worst prank I've ever pulled. Top twenty, at best," she added on before turning to Star "Anyways, so Star, where is this place you said that could replace all our stuff?" Janna questioned.

"Well, Janna Banana, it's a surprise!" Star said before pulling out the dimensional scissors Ponyhead gave her and proceeded to open a blue, swirling portal. Everyone stared at it in awe.

"Yeah, I had the same look on my face," Marco commented, smiling at the faces his friends were making. "People from other dimensions use magic scissors, like these to travel. Just think of where you want to go, and they'll take you there."

"Oh man, I could do so many cool things with this thang," Janna said, eyeing Star's scissors with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes that Marco and Jackie knew all too well. "Hey, Star, any chance I could borrow those sometime?"

"How about no?" Jackie said, grabbing her friend by the shoulder and moving her away from the scissors. "Besides, I'd want to borrow them so that I can finally go on that trip to France I've always wanted," she added.

"Duly Noted, Jackie," Star said.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Marco said before entering the portal, followed by Oskar.

"Wicked cool," Janna said before entering the portal with Jackie and Star.

"Welcome to Quest Buy!" Star stepped through the portal she cut with her friends following and gasping in awe.

Around them was what appeared to be a typical shopping mart, but built like a medieval palace would have been constructed, complete with vaulted ceilings and stone blocks used for the walls. The place was also massive, with the roof easily a good 50 feet or more above them, and they could tell it extended outwards for what seemed like miles. Around them were shelves and aisles containing a wide variety of materials or products that were being looked over by a wide range of entities and races of all shapes and sizes.

Star's friends could only do what any rational, sane person from Earth would do in the face of something so incredible: widen their eyes and let their mouths hang open in sheer shock.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I had the same reaction when our servants let me come here for the first time, Star thought as she silently chuckled at her friends gawking.

As they were looking around, trying to process everything before them, a voice yelled out over some sort of intercom system.

"Attention Quest Buy shoppers, we have a red ticket sale 25% off all things that murders, and remember shoppers, please do not violate the Quest Buy policy," the voice finished in a dull and monotone tone.

"Woah, what is this place?" Marco, Jackie, Janna, and Oskar questioned simultaneously.

"This, my dear friends, is Quest Buy, a place where you can get nearly everything in the entire universe," Star explained.

"Wow," Jackie finally managed to get out in awe before a small tray was shoved under her face with two beakers on it. One had some eyeballs floating in gelatinous goo, and the other only had the goo in it.

"Sample?" Jackie looked up to see a fish person wearing a suit with no sleeves holding the tray. "Either take a sample or leave a sample." Jackie took a step back while Janna stepped forward and took the eyeball and placed it in a plastic bag before putting it in her pocket.

Everyone except Star just gave Janna a disgusted look.

"What?" Janna questioned while smiling.

"First off, gross. Second, don't talk with creepy fish people offering up eyes and taking them from people as that always turns out bad." Jackie said while pulling Janna away from the fish person.

Star and the company then proceeded to walk around while Marco started reading signs on the countless shelves. "Ghost repellent, extra strength Gnome heads, jawbreakers the size of your fists? Star, are you sure we can get the stuff they need here?" Marco questioned.

"Psshh, of course, Marco, this is Quest Buy. After all, you can get almost anything you need here," Star answered.

_Hmmm, I wonder,_Marco thought to himself.

"Man, this place is disorganized, and that's coming from me," Oskar said while looking around. Oskar Greason had a reputation of being the most unorganized kid in Echo Creek. So if he said something was disorganized, then it was disorganized!

Star stops walking to look at her friends before speaking up "It only looks disorganized. Legends say that the founders of Quest Buy had an ancient cryptic system of symbols they used to organize the store." Star leaned in close to them with an eerie look in her eyes. "Some have gone mad trying to decipher it." The group turned as they heard an excited squeal from some sort of black and furry little creature that had a skull covering its head.

"I finally got it! Housewares are that WAY!" He ran off, laughing into a wall. The group ignores the furry dog-creature while they entered another area of the store. That's when Marco then noticed something. Standing off to one side was a pair of 12 foot tall, almost robotic looking statues. They were colored jet-black, a scaly appearance, and a hole in their chest. Marco had already seen them at several points throughout the store, so he finally decided to ask Star about it.

* * *

"Hey Star, I've meant to ask, but what are those things?" Marco said, while pointing to one of the statues.

* * *

"Oh, those things? To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. I heard they're supposed to be Quest Buy's security that enforces their policy," Star explained.

"What exactly is this policy, though?" Janna questioned

"Oh, it's pretty simple: don't attack customers and no stealing. That's pretty much it," Star answered.

The group nodded at Star as they reached an intersection. Marco then spoke up, "Hey Star is it alright if I do some exploring of the store on my own?" Marco questioned.

"Are you sure about that, Marco? This place isn't exactly easy to navigate," Star said, the look of concern on her face evident.

"Can't you just use a spell to locate him, though?" Janna said.

"Oh right duh," Star said before twirling her wand.

"Alright, If you guys need me, just call me," Marco said while showing his phone as he goes in another direction separately from the group.

"You sure he'll be fine?" Oskar said in a worried tone as he watches Marco take another turn completely disappearing from view.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. This is Marco we are talking about. He's the most reliable person we know, after all", Star said with a hint of pride in her voice as the others nodded in agreement. Now let's go find you guys your stuff!" Star let out an excited cheer with the others following her.

* * *

"Now, what would be a good gift for Star?" Marco said to himself. After the incident with the Monster Arm, Marco wanted to get Star a little something to say thank you.

_Ever since she came into my life, Star's made things so much more enjoyable. We get to fight Monsters, travel to other dimensions, and I get to see more of the universe than I thought possible at my age._

As someone with Celestial DNA, Marco knew that he wouldn't be able to maintain a normal life for long. While it was still unclear if he would stop aging after a certain point, his dad had said that he would likely live far longer than most sentient beings do. Long enough to see most of what his home dimension had to offer. Many times now, Marco had thought about what he would do after high school, and he kept coming back to the idea of just leaving Earth behind and travel the universe. Thanks to Star, though, he was already able to do that, and he was grateful for that opportunity.

As Marco thought to himself, he walked up to a shelf and noticed a can of something labeled "Whup Ass." "Whup Ass?" Marco said to himself, grabbing the can before proceeding to remove the lid only for a fist to come out and punches him repeatedly. " Argh ow ow ow ow" Marco groaned in shock and pain as he finally managed to put the lid back on the can after suffering a black eye and few bruises to the face.

"Ugh, I can't believe they sell stuff like that," Marco groaned while rubbing his black eye until something caught his eye. Fortunately, his Celestial DNA helped him recover from injuries faster than normal beings. With any luck, the black eye would be gone by the time he found Star. That's when he turned his one good eye to a rack and noticed something.

It was a high-tech, futuristic-looking board similar to a skateboard. _It kind of reminds me of the one from Back to the Future II,_ Marco thought. That's when he saw the sign above the rack. "Hmm, Doc and Marty's all-purpose hoverboard. Self-powered with zero emissions, able to function on and type of terrain. Can be used as a skate, surf, or snowboard?" Marco read the description out loud as he grew surprised that such a thing could exist. "And it's ocean blue and matches the color of Jackie's eyes! She'll love this!" Marco immediately decided to get the board for her. Since he could make money out of thin air, the price wouldn't be a concern, either.

As soon as Marco was about to grab it, the same dog-creature from earlier snatched it from his grasp before running away.

"Mine!" the dog thing said before running off with the hoverboard.

"What the?! Get back here, you little gremlin!" Marco yelled as he chases down the goblin creature.

* * *

Meanwhile, Star, Oskar, Janna, and Jackie were looking around quest buy hoping to find what they're looking for

"Argh, this place is a mess! Are you sure we haven't been going around in a circle?" Janna asked with an annoyed tone.

"What makes you say that, Janna?" Star questioned

"I'm pretty sure we've passed the gnome repellants at least three times already," Jackie answered while gesturing to the shelves filled with gnome repellants.

_Huh, we might be lost_, Star thought. The Princess stopped walking and went to look at a map of Quest Buy, which had a 'you might be here' written on the dot.

"It says we might be here," Star said until she felt a shopping cart shoved from behind her. She turned around only to be met with the sight of Ludo and a few of his goons.

"Well, well, well. It looks like Quest Buy does have everything a monster could want!"

"Ludo?!" Star said in shock

"Now hand over that wand, or there's going to be a big cleanup on aisle...Uh, what aisle is this?" Ludo said, turning to one of the store clerks. Who, for some reason, was a giant sloth.

"That's not my department," The Sloth Clerk said before walking away. Ludo got an annoyed look only to be hit by a box of giant diapers.

"Run! " Star yelled before running off with her friends.

"Why don't you just blast them like you usually do?!" Janna questioned while pointing at the group of monsters chasing after them.

"Yeah, why don't you?" Oskar added

"I can't! Otherwise, it would be a violation of Quest Buy's policy!" Star said while dodging a spear thrown at her by one of the monsters.

"Look, elevators! " Jackie said while pointing to a pair of elevators getting everyone's attention.

Star and her friends quickly entered the elevator, with Star just pressing a random button to take them as far away as possible. The doors managed to close before one of the monsters managed to enter it.

"Don't let them get away!" Ludo said as he and his monsters enter the elevator next to them. However a slug man called out to them to hold the door open.

"Come on close, close, close" Ludo said while pressing the close button repeatedly just as the door was about to close the slug man managed to reach for the door and opens it.

"Thanks, guys," the slug man said before entering the elevator, squishing Ludo and his monsters in the process before the elevator took off.

* * *

Meanwhile, Marco was busy chasing down the dog creature, who was now riding the hoverboard. He had chased him down three aisles already and had managed to corner him at one point. However, the little guy managed to run underneath his legs and sprint off.

"Ha! If you think that's bad, try to catch me when I'm covered in grease. I'm a squirmy little fella!" The dog thing said.

By this point, the creature had gotten tired of running, so it just rode on the hoverboard out of Marco's reach.

"Haha, catch me if you can! For I am the King of hoverboards!" the dog creature boasted

"That's it!" Marco having enough of this decided to materialize the same Whup Ass can from earlier while no one was looking before hurling it at the dog creature successfully knocking it off the hoverboard

"Yes!" Marco said with a triumphant smirk.

"Huh? Whup Ass?" the dog thing questioned. "Hey, I can use this to make others do my bidding! Now how do you open this thing?" The dog thing asked before opening the can only for a fist to come out and knock him unconscious.

"Hah! Serves you right," Marco mocked as he picks up the hoverboard that was now lying on the floor. Now that I look at him, he kind of looks like a Cubone from Pokemon.

"Ugh my head," the goblin groaned as he struggled to get up; however, he unintentionally pulled a lever trying to stand up.

The floor Marco was standing, suddenly opened, revealing itself to be a trapdoor.

"Ah, crapbaskets," Marco managed to say before falling through the trapdoor along with the hoverboard. The moment the "King of Hoverboards," got up the floor, Marco fell through has already closed along with the lever suddenly flipping replacing itself with a standard wall.

"Huh. Well, this is what Eda gets for putting me in charge of shopping."

* * *

"So Star, how are we supposed to get rid of Ludo without us violating the policy like you said" Janna questioned.

"I don't know Janna we could leave by using these scissors," Star said while showing her scissors "But we can't leave without Marco "

"Wait Star, you said something about Quest Buy having a security system that enforces its policy, right?" Jackie questioned.

"Yeah, why?" Star said with a confused look

"And according to what you said, Ludo and his goons are already violating this policy, right?" Jackie added

Star's eyes widen in realization, " You don't mean?"

"Yep. If my hunch is correct about those statues, Marco pointed at earlier, and if we lure Ludo and his guys near one of them, we may be able to trigger the security system to get rid of him," Jackie finished explaining.

"You know, that could work," Star said until suddenly, the elevator abruptly stopped with the lights going out in the process.

Jackie and Oskar opened the elevator door slipping out with Star knocking her head against an out of order sign hanging over the elevator. They were greeted by one of the sloth clerks who had his arm in a cast and bandages over his right eye.

"Sorry, folks, the elevators are out of order from beyond this point. Welcome to the death trap department." He pointed around, revealing a wide variety of traps and devices that could quickly kill or maim people. However, not a single one of the security statues was nearby.

"Hey man, is there anyone of those security statues you guys have nearby?" Oskar questioned.

"Oh, you mean the Sentinels?" the sloth replied.

"So that's what they're called, huh? Seems appropriate," Janna said before the sloth spoke up again.

"Yeah, there are three located by the exit " the sloth then pointed to the end of the hall. As he said, there were three of the statues situated there. "I don't know what you want with them, but please watch your-" As the sloth turned around, he accidentally stepped onto a giant mousetrap pinning him onto the ground with a hiss of pain from him. Everyone began moving towards him but he held up his hand. "Don't help me up, I get worker's comp for this." He smiled as the group looked at each other in confusion.

Suddenly the second elevator opens and revealing a giant slug. The slug man squeezes out of the elevator showing a squished Ludo and his minions. "See you later, guys." The slug said before leaving, ignorant to the misfortune he caused.

"Ugh, that's nasty," Oskar said with a tone of disgust before Ludo, and his minions got up, with Ludo ordering his minions to charge.

"Come on, guys, let's go," Star shouted as she and her friends immediately ran away towards the exit.

* * *

Meanwhile, Marco was currently screaming as he was still falling

"Crud, I need to find a way to land without breaking my bones," Marco said. His mind was running a mile a minute, and he couldn't think of anything that he could make to save him at that point. That's when he noticed that the hoverboard from earlier was falling next to him.

"Ah, ha!" Marco then grabs the hoverboard before positioning it beneath his feet.

"Come on, how do you work this thing," Marco said nervously as he saw that he was getting closer to the ground at an alarming speed. In hindsight, Marco wished that he had gotten Jackie to teach him how to skateboard years ago.

As the ground started getting closer, Marco closed his eyes, bracing for impact. When he opened his eyes, Marco saw that he was hovering off the ground on the hoverboard.

_Okay, not going to think about how I almost died, or question whether or not I could have survived that_, Marco thought as he tried to brush off his near-death experience.

The hoodie-wearing boy then got off the hoverboard and saw that a few candles only illuminated the place he dropped into.

"What is this place?" Marco questioned as he walked around before noticing a bunch of symbols on the walls.

"What is this?" Marco was looking at the symbols which appeared to be a bunch of people bowing to a giant. The giant had one of its hands outstretched with a bunch of familiar statues on top of it as if being given to the people below as a gift.

_Those things look familiar_, Marco thought to himself while looking at the statues on top of the giant's hand.

Suddenly Marco head a mechanical whirring noise followed by heavy footsteps.

Marco immediately turned around to look for the source of the sound, looking around the room at first Marco didn't see anything off. When he looked around again, he saw a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness.

The eyes suddenly walked towards Marco, causing him to place his back against the wall. When the eyes finally got close enough to be illuminated by the light, Marco's eyes widen in shock. It was the same as the statues from earlier. However, this time its eyes were glowing orange along with the hole in its chest emitting a whirring noise.

**"Declaration: ALERT! UNAUTHORIZED BEING DETECTED IN SANCTUARY! UNIT IS SWITCHING TO EXTERMINATION MODE!"** the robot said in a deep robotic voice before morphing one of its arms into a blade and lunging at Marco.

"Ah, Crapbaskets!!" Marco yelled as he jumped out of the way, barely able to dodge the blade as it embedded itself in the wall where he was mere moments before. Was barely able to dodge the blade aimed towards his head.

_Man, they may be bigger, but they sure are fast_, Marco thought to himself as he dodged another attack, this time aimed at his heart. Not even a Celestial hybrid could survive an attack like that.

"All right, tall, dark, and gruesome. You wanna play? Fine, let's play!"

_Okay, I know I only got this power last night, and I haven't had time to test it out, but it may be may my only chance._ Marco then concentrated as he remembered the feeling from the night before, letting his arms glow as they morphed into the desired form. Within a second, they had transformed into a pair of white tentacles, covered in rock for extra protection.

Marco didn't waste any time, proceeding to go on the offensive. Using the longer range of his arms, he swung with his right tentacle, aiming for the chest cavity on the robot.

The robot proved itself to be agile as him, though, as it simply dodged Marco's attack with ease. It then leapt over his head and attempted to make another stab at Marco, with the boy managing to duck just in time.

**"Observation: enemy appears to have shapeshifting capabalities and can extend its limbs. Adapting**." Before Marco could wonder what that means, the machine held up its palm, and proceed to fire a blast of electricity from it. Marco was only barely able to avoid the attack by transforming his legs into frog legs, letting him jump high into the air and avoid the blast before returning to the ground.

_I sure wish Star was here!_ Marco thought to himself.

* * *

_I sure wish Marco was here!,_ Star thought as she and her friends made their way through many dangerous traps.

"Look out!" Star said immediately before an ax swung past them on a pendulum.

Blades of Doom!" Star said, pointing forward.

Star and her friends were able to dodge the axes and continue running. Unfortunately, Bearicorn got smacked by the Ax's handle.

They then arrive in a room of skeleton statues with blowguns.

"Massacre darts!" Star shouted before the statues started shooting darts

Just like with the axes Star and her friends manage to get past the statues and avoid the darts that the statues shot at them.

"A hallway with walls that smash together periodically!" Star said

"What is it with this store?" Jackie yelled before dodging one of the smashing walls

After avoiding the last of the smashing walls, they finally managed to get out of the death trap department.

" We made it! And look, there they are!" Star said, pointing at the sentinel statues situated by the entrance of the gadgets department.

"Now what?" Oskar questioned while panting

Uhhhh," Star said.

While Star was pondering on what to do, they didn't notice that Ludo has caught up to them.

"Give it up, Butterfly!" Ludo angrily yelled. "You may have tried to give us the slip, but as you can see, my followers and I made it out none the worse for wear!" The Avian gestured behind him, only to see that a few had some bruises while Bearicorn was trying to shake off a possible concussion. "More or less," Ludo added.

"Quickly in there!" Jackie yelled, pointing towards the gadgets department. The group of friends immediately ran inside, followed by the group of monsters. Unknown to them, the three Sentinels eyes started glowing orange while releasing a mechanical whirring noise.

* * *

Marco was having trouble dealing with the Sentinel due to how agile and fast it was.

Marco had swapped his tentacles for gorilla arms, hoping to match the robot with raw power. When Marco finally managed to land a punch, though, it didn't flinch, and to Marco's horror, it caught his fist. Suddenly, he saw it grow rocks, covering its arm in them before forcing him onto the ground. Then without warning, the robot punched Marco with its other arm, sending him, sending him flying against the wall before leaping at him with a bladed weapon.

Marco was able to get up and avoid a fatal hit, but not without getting his arm slashed, "Ah!" Marco yelped in pain, expecting to see the red color of his blood, but to his great surprise, his blood was not red. Instead, it had a light blue color mixed with it.

When Marco looked up, he saw the robot had ceased it's assault and was now looking at the blood it got on its blade arm, seemingly scanning it. After a few seconds of silence, the robot turned its arm back to normal before speaking up

**"Analysis complete. Celestial DNA detected. Reverting to the prime directive, preserve Celestial Creators. Greetings, master, how may I assist you?"** the robot spoke but no longer in a deep, menacing voice. Instead, it spoke in a tone like a servant addressing its master.

"I'm sorry, what?!" Marco asked shocked by what the robot said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Star and her friends had entered the gadgets department to shake off Ludo's cronies. Unfortunately, along the way, they were forced to split up with being separated into Star and Oskar going into the musical gadgets area. At the same time, Jackie and Janna entered the mobile devices area.

Jackie and Janna were being chased by a warthog monster along with bearicorn, who had split up to chase down the two humans.

As the two girls ran from their pursuers, something then caught Janna's eye. It was a phone, but unlike the rest in the store that was just compact mirrors like the one Star had, this one was designed like one of Earth's smartphone.

Bearicorn was then able to grab Jackie. Janna saw this and was about to help until the warthog monster also caught her.

"Ugh, let us go!" Jackie and Janna yelled while thrashing in the monster's hold. The monsters merely smirked at this and turned around to make their way back to Ludo's group while carrying the two girls. Instead, they were met with one of the now-active Sentinels. **"Halt. You are in violation of the non-violence policy of Quest Buy. Put down the customers and come quietly. Failure to comply will result in lethal force being used."** it spoke in a menacing voice.

Bearicorn and the Warthog could only gulp nervously.

Star and Oskar were running through the music area of the gadgets department, filled with many electrical instruments like pianos and guitars. The area was a maze, but somehow they managed to keep one step ahead of Ludo's group. And despite all the danger, Star couldn't help but be happy that she got some time with Oskar.

They then entered an area filled with Keytars. "Wow, is this heaven?" Oskar said while looking at the many Keytars. _It is for me since you're here_, Star thought, trying to hold back a blush. After a few moments, Oskar's eyes came to rest on a special keytar. It was separated from the rest and placed on a podium. Oskar could swear he saw a heavenly light beaming down on it. Before he could do anything, though, Ludo showed up, surrounding the teens.

"End of the line, brats. Now hand over the wand or else!" Ludo angrily yelled.

"Or else what?" Star said in a mocking tone

"Or else--Get them!!!" Ludo ordered his remaining minions.

Left with no other options, Star finally decides to use her wand to blast the monsters.

"Rainbow Blast!" Star yelled while blasting lobster claw into a shelf, causing a black hole charger to fall off and activate dragging him in as he screamed. Fortunately, Potato Baby managed to grab him.

"Honeybee tornado swarm!" As soon as she launched that spell at Beard Dear and Spikeballs, they ran for the hills.

Oskar was just sitting on the sidelines. He knew he couldn't fight, and he didn't want to get in the way, so he just kept staring at the Keytar and admiring all the bells and whistles. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a giant fly creature dive-bombing towards Star.

"Star, look out behind you!" Oskar shouted. Too little, too late. Boo Fly managed to headbutt Star in the back, causing her to stumble for a quick second. To her horror, though, she realized that the wand had been sent flying towards Ludo, who managed to catch it with a cackle.

"Finally, evil is in the palm of my hands!" Ludo said with a triumphant smirk. The wand then changed appearance with the handle turning into a flat, jagged, diamond-shaped rock with the color of the wand's crystal now green being held by a skeletal hand.

"Oh no," Star and Oskar said with a horrified look and braces themselves when Ludo aimed the and at them.

"Inferno Death Blast!" Ludo shouted, shooting a torrent of flames from the wand towards Star and Oskar, who had their eyes closed.

But before the blast could make contact with Star and Oskar, something blocks the attack.

When they opened their eyes, it was a Sentinel guard, now active and standing in front of them, while another one was standing behind Ludo's minions.

**"Customer, you are in violation of Quest Buy policy. Surrender and come with us peacefully, or face the consequences."** it spoke in a robotic voice

Instead of complying, Ludo ordered his minions to attack the Sentinel. Despite being intimidated, the monsters obeyed, with Spike Balls attacking first by launching a punch with his mace hands. The Sentinel caught the blow with ease before twisting and bending Spike Ball's arm backward, earning a yell of pain that made everyone cringe.

"I was not prepared for this when I came here today," Oskar said.

"I don't think any of us were," Star added.

To the Monsters horror, the Sentinel holding Spike Balls hand suddenly turned itself metallic and silver in color before raising another fist and punching down Spike balls knocking him out.

Ludo then uses the newly acquired wand to blast the Sentinel behind him with another blast of fire; at first, this was able to push back the Sentinel.

**"Observation, Unit is under attack by magically based fire. Adapting."** Suddenly, it started coating itself in ice rendering the blast useless. Its face then started opening up like a flower revealing a ball of energy in the center before shooting a laser blast sending Ludo flying along with the wand. The wand landed by Star's feet, none the worse

"My wand!" Star immediately picked it up, changing it back to its previous appearance.

"Woah those things are pretty cool," Oskar said in awe

When Star looked up, she saw that all the monsters, including Ludo, had been beaten.

She then heard Janna and Jackie call out to her."Thank Mewni, you guys are okay," Star said, seeing Janna and Jackie approach her but double took at the Sentinel following them that was carrying an unconscious Bearicorn and Warthog monster.

The two Sentinels then picked up the rest of Ludo's minions along with Ludo itself.

"Where are you guys taking them?" Jackie asked with curiosity

"They will be taken to the managers' office to be punished accordingly," one of the robots replied before leaving.

"So Janna, I see you got a new phone," Star said with a smirk after noticing the device in the beanie-wearing girl's hand.

"Oh, it's not just any phone. It's a UPhone X, the most advanced communication device in the universe!" Janna said while showing the phone to Star. It was shaped like a normal smartphone at first glance. However, closer examination revealed that every inch of it was bristling with processing power, and it was made from a material that far surpassed anything Apple or Samsung could create.

"Wow, that is so cool," Oskar said.

"So much potential. So many things I could do with this." The usually calm and collected Janna couldn't help but get teary-eyed at such a beautiful device in her hands.

"You know I saw you were looking at one of the keytars from earlier. now that Ludo's all taken care of, we can go check it out. " Star said with a bit of nervousness.

"Awesome" Oskar replied

"I wonder what's Marco's doing right now," Jackie questioned.

"I'm sure he's fine," Janna said while typing on her new phone. "He's pretty good at getting out of trouble, so what's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You Sentinels were created by a Celestial?" Marco questioned the Sentinel that he had nicknamed Rover.

**"That is correct, master, "** Rover responded.

After the Sentinel Marco was fighting stood down, it started addressing him as "master" much to his discomfort.

"Okay, first of all, Rover, please don't call me 'Master' okay, just call me Marco," Marco ordered.

"As you wish, Marco" Rover answered

"*groan* Anyways, where am I?" Marco questioned while looking around the dark place he landed in.

Suddenly a bunch of torches ignited, lighting up the room. When Marco took in the details, he realized it was a private study complete with a chair and table walls lined with bookshelves filled with what looked to be holocrons. He also noticed some blueprints on the table that were written in an unknown language. On the table, there appeared to be a picture of the sloth employees genuinely smiling, with some even laughing.

**"This was the private study of our creator,"** Rover answered, gesturing its arms around the room.

"Woah," Marco said in awe, he then takes a look at one of the books, but like the blueprints, they were written in an unknown language.

**"When Quest Buy began, the store was in chaos. Customers from across the universe began to overwhelm the clerks, depleting the store of its products faster than they could replace them. When the employees were unable to handle all the work, some customers began to become violent, stealing items from the store and further exacerbating the problem."** Rover spoke.

"So, what happened?"

**"Data logs state that Quest Buy was visited by a passing Celestial one day. Disgusted at the violence and greed, the entity took pity on the Employees and gave them guardians to help enforce order and sanity. Using his knowledge of robotics and cosmic powers, the Celestial created us, the Sentinels, to maintain order at Quest Buy. To aid us in this, our machinery gives us the ability to adapt to any threat or environment we may face, allowing us to handle the most unruly of patrons."**

"So, where is he now?" Marco asked, hoping that he could meet another Celestial.

**"His last whereabouts were deleted from our memory along with the GPS he had with him that allowed us to locate him. However, before he left, we were ordered to stand guard in Quest Buy along with our prime directive."**

"Prime Directive?" Marco questioned

**"Our Prime Directive is to serve Celestials that come to quest buy while at the same time keep their identity a secret even from the employees."**

_Darn, I was hoping I could at least meet another Celestial oh well there's a reason why no one could find them after all _Marco thought to himself.

"Anyway, Rover, do you know a way out of here? I really need to get back to my friends," Marco said, thinking that his friends were probably looking for him.

**"Of course, Marco,"** Rover then inserted his hand into a hidden panel on the wall, which causes a part of the wall to open revealing staircases.** "This should lead you back to the entrance of Quest Buy, Marco."**

"Thanks," Marco said before ascending the staircases with the hoverboard in hand. "See you later, Rover," Marco said to the robot.

* * *

At the entrance of Quest Buy, Star and her friends were looking for Marco, Thanks to Star's money, Oskar was able to buy that awesome Keytar he had been eying. Not only did it have unlimited battery life, but it could remotely uplink to the user's mind, allowing them to play any song that they could think of perfectly. Needless to say, he was one happy musician.

Janna had gotten a black version of the UPhone that she had shown off earlier. Not only did it have enough storage on it to rival a normal computer on Earth, but it also had access to the UNet. According to Star, it was similar to the Internet found on Earth, but it was capable of accessing data and information from any dimension in existence. Unfortunately, Jackie was not able to find a replacement for her skateboard.

"Dang, it's a shame you couldn't find anything, Jackie, though the hoverboard would have been cool. Too bad it was sold out," Janna said, comforting Jackie and putting her hand on her shoulder.

According to one of the sloths, apparently that tiny dog-creature they had seen earlier had tried to take it from another customer, and the resulting scuffle had led to one of them falling into a trap door. The Sentinels had captured the troublemaker, who kept calling himself "the King of demons" and ejected him from the store.

"It's okay, I think I'll just get an ordinary skateboard when we get back," Jackie said while smiling.

"Why isn't Marco picking up his phone?" Star said worriedly

"Perhaps he's busy with something?" Oskar said while trying out his new Keytar.

"What could he possibly-" Star said but was interrupted when the wall near them suddenly opened, revealing Marco, whose hair was covered in cobwebs.

"*Cough* *Cough* man that was nasty!" Marco said while coughing out some dust. " Oh, hey, guys," Marco nonchalantly said upon seeing his friends who all had a surprised look except for Janna, who had an amused one before taking a picture of him.

"Marco! where have you been, man?" Oskar questioned helping Marco to his feet

"I fell down a hole," Marco answered.

"What!?" everyone answered with a horrified look.

"Yeah, this look dog thing that looked like a Pokemon tried to snatch this out of my hands, and I fell down a trapdoor," Marco said while revealing the hoverboard he had.

"*Gasp* is that?" Jackie said.

"Yep, I thought this would be a lot better than a skateboard," Marco said before giving the hoverboard to Jackie.

"Oh my God, thank you so much, Marco!" Jackie said before hugging him.

"Heh, of course, what are friends for?" Marco said while returning the hug before turning towards Star.

"So Star, I see you also managed to get Oskar and Janna's stuff replaced.

"Of course I did," Star answered with a proud look.

Marco then remembered the other reason he wanted to explore. _Crud I forgot to get a gift for Star_, Marco thought to himself before seeing the destruction caused by Ludo and his minions from earlier

"Woah, what happened here? " Marco questioned.

"Oh, do I have a story for you, Marco," Star said before opening a portal that they entered along with their friends.

* * *

Later that night, at the Ordonia Household after Janna arrived home, she immediately made her way to her room after greeting her parents. She couldn't wait to try out her access to the UNet and learn as much as she could.

At first she was considering searching up about the robots that attacked them but decided against it. Instead, she decided to search the universe's most dangerous creatures.

"Okay, Universe, most dangerous creatures ranked and search," Janna said while typing on her phone.

After a few seconds of loading, the phone finally revealed a page where the universe's most dangerous creatures are listed.

"Let's see 'Creatures are ranked based on how powerful and dangerous they are, ranking from E being the lowest to SS being the highest, ' " Janna said while reading the page.

For some reason, instead of the page starting at the top, it started at the bottom, meaning you would have to read the weakest creatures there are first.

"Let's see Goblins rank E, Kappa rank E, Frogman rank D. Oh man, it's funny how Ludo's minion has a higher rank than him," Janna said while snickering to herself as she decided to skip to the A rank and above creatures.

"Septarian rank S, Ogre rank A, Size shifters rank A, Shapeshifters rank S, Solarian Warrior rank S. I wonder who's the strongest?" Janna said as she decided to skip to the SS rank creatures to find out which is the strongest, there is, only to find one creature listed under the SS category.

"Celestials?" Janna wondered to herself as she proceeded to read more info about it.

"Celestials are the most ancient and mysterious creatures there are, Not much is known about these beings other than them possessing the ability to control the molecules around them easily making them the most dangerous there is. Once worshipped as divine entities by many civilizations across the universe, the last Celestial sighting was over 500 years ago. Current Status: unknown". Janna could only stare in awe at the information she had just read.

"Man, it would be cool if I could meet one of these guys," Janna said to herself despite the Celestials being listed as the most dangerous she was unfazed by it. "Now I wonder what these guys look like," Janna said as she clicked the images for Celestials only to be met with hundreds of blurred out images.

"Aw boo. Hmmm, perhaps I can ask Star about this," Janna said as she put down her phone and went to sleep.

* * *

CELESTIAL JOURNAL

Sentinel- are artifacts that were created and developed by an unknown Celestial. These Sentinels serve as robotic guards to Quest Buy. Unlike other robot guards like the ones from St. Olga's, the sentinels were equipped with advance machinery that allows them to adapt to other attacks as well as the ability morph their arms into weapons. They also possess an energy ray in their heads that allows them to shoot powerful energy blast.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:****Rothem here back with another chapter for you dear readers. Before you say anything the sentinels in the story were based off the ones from X-men Days of Future Past therefore in case the description about their appearance in the story weren't clear to you just google "Sentinel Mark X". And now a message from RJWritingInk.**

**Hey guys, Jay here with another beta's note thing! While I think that the Sentinels in the X-Men films were cool, that's nothing compared to them in the comics and cartoons. Go read the comics if you want to see how crazy they can get. Some of them are massive as skyscrapers! Also, while Marco naming the Sentinel he fought Rover seems random, it's not. There is, in fact, a Sentinel in the comics that was named Rover. Some teenager found it in a junkyard and repaired it to serve him.**

**Also, if you guys didn't realize, the little cubone creature Marco chased was King, one of the main characters from Disney's newest series, The Owl House. It's all about a girl named Luz who finds herself in a world inhabitated by demons, and she stays with this outlaw witch and studies to become one herself. It's only in its first season, but it's really good. If you're a fan of Gravity Falls and Star vs. the Forces of Evil, I'd recommend you watch The Owl house. Also, King is voiced by Alex Hirsch, aka Grunkle Stan/Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls, which is awesome.****Jay out!**

* * *

**Review Responses**

**Gobert600- Yeah even I had a horrified look when I realized this.**

**Starco4everr-thank you**

**I'mafanofFANFICTIONS- haha. I'm glad you like this story.**


	12. Mewberty

It had been a few weeks since the trip to Quest Buy, and during this time, Marco had been practicing new moves with his powers. Ever since his fight with the Sentinel Rover, Marco thought about how he was always having difficulty with dealing with enemies that are fast and agile.

_If it weren't for my Celestial DNA, Rover could've killed me_, Marco thought as he remembered how close Rover came to killing him multiple times. _Then there was that Monster Arm debacle the day before_. Marco shuddered, while remembering his mental battle with his dark self. Coupled with Buff Frog breaking his arm the day before that, and it was all the incentive he needed to train himself to get stronger. So, Marco spent the last few weeks coming up with a bunch of moves that focus on restraining enemies, especially those that are faster and more agile than him. It was slow going, but he could already see the telltale signs that his muscles were improving. _Hopefully, the next time I encounter someone fast and robust, like Rover, I'll be able to beat them without Star's help_, Marco said to himself. At that moment, Marco heard Star groan loudly beside him as they were getting ready to head to their next class.

"What's the matter, Star?" Marco asked Star in a worried tone.

"Nothing, it's just that I was supposed to ask Oskar out after the whole Quest Buy thing, but I can't work up the nerve to do so!" Star answered in a frustrated tone as she watched Oskar from a distance as he was chatting up a bunch of girls near his car.

While Marco was busy practicing with his powers, Star was feeling very frustrated. Her plan to ask out Oskar had backfired on her. Though they've been hanging out more in that time, and while she had been getting more and more comfortable around him, she was still too flustered to ask him out. To make matters worse, his new keytar has caused his musical talents to skyrocket. As a result, a lot of girls were starting to show interest in him, and that was making Star incredibly jealous. She could have sworn that she even saw Janna trying to flirt with him. JANNA, of all people.

"I'm sure you'll be able to do it, Star. It would be best if you didn't try to force it," Marco said reassuringly.

"Thanks, Marco, that means a lot," Star said, smiling at her best friend for always being supportive of her.

That's when Marco noticed something on Star's forehead, "Hey Star, I think you got some paint on your face." Star lifts her bangs to reveal a purple heart, she reaches up and then peels the purple heart off. Star immediately got a panicked look on her face before gasping.

"*Gasp* Marco this isn't paint. I think I'm going through Mewberty". Star said the last part in a whisper as more hearts formed around her face. Oh yeah, Mewberty. Star then began to panic as he started to pull her hair over her face as more purple hearts started to appear.

"Weeeeeell, ooooooookay, uh, Mewberty! Heheh, that's... nothing to be ashamed of! We have a similar thing here on Earth!" Marco explained awkwardly.

"DON'T confuse this with your Earth things, Marco! I'm from Mewni!" She said, rather loudly. "Things are going to get weird." She lowered her voice down to a whisper. "You gotta keep me away from boys!" She said, desperately grabbing onto the straps of Marco's backpack. _Something tells me this won't be anything like Earth's puberty,_ Marco thought, judging by the desperate and panicked tone in Star's voice. _I wonder if Celestials went through something different as well_. Marco made a mental note to ask his dad if Celestials went through puberty or something else. His thoughts were interrupted, though, when he heard Star speak up again.

"Wait a second.." Star said in realization."Marco's a booooyy," She exclaimed, pupils, turning into hearts and tilting her head to the side. Star's face then exploded into more purple hearts.

_OK, this is creepy on all kinds of levels_. "Hehehehe…" Marco awkwardly laughed as he escaped from Star's grip on his backpack. Star's eyes returned to their natural, blue color as she was not near Marco any more, as he backed away a few steps to get some distance from her.

"When you say things are going to get weird, do you mean typical Star weird or, like, destroy the school weird?" Marco asked, though with how panicked Star was, he had a feeling it would be the latter.

"Destroy the school" Star answered without missing a beat.

_Ah, crapbaskets. Well, this should be interesting_, Marco thought as he looked at how freaked out his friend was. "That's what I was worried about. OK, Star, forget about the rest of our classes. I need to get you to your room and away from any other boys. Marco then grabbed her by the wrist, making sure to use his sleeve to prevent direct contact with her skin.

Thankfully, most of the classes were still in session, so the hallway wasn't that crowded. As a result, Marco was able to lead Star safely for a few minutes. He could tell that she was trying her hardest not to get distracted, but every random boy that she seemed to come across mad things worse. "Oh no, oh no, oh no… OK, here comes a boy, you got this." She mumbled to herself. "You got this..-" Star made a noise. "-avert your eyes, avert your eyes!" She said while staring at a random guy. She inhaled sharply as a popping noise was made, caused by more hearts appearing on her face.

"Marco, I don't think this is such a good ideaaa-" Star trailed off. Marco couldn't hear her footsteps anymore, so he turned around only to see her closely watching some random dude sipping from the water fountain. Star's eyes were hearts again. Hearts rapidly appeared on her face as she watched.

She put her finger in the way of the stream, and the guy opened his eyes and looked at her, Marco noticed that the hearts had spread to Star's arm that was blocking the stream of water. "My tuuurrnn!" She said in a sing-song voice.

"Woah, OK, let's go!" Marco said, grabbing her wrist again and dragging her away. They didn't make it very far, though, as Star's arm suddenly turned completely purple up to her elbow, covered in hearts, with more hearts shooting out of her fingertips and latching onto the nearest locker.

"Waaaaaahh!" Marco and Star screamed in unison, Marco pointed to her arm as they looked to Star's arm, they looked at each other before looking at her arm again.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" They continued to scream as Marco pulled his hand back, which was now covered in hearts from Star's arm.

Star pulled back, trying to detach her arm from the locker, but only succeeded in opening it and sliding inside. Marco quickly noted that this was NOT her locker.

".. I'm stuck." She said Marco immediately made his way to the locker to help. "Uhh, let me help!" At this, she quickly shut herself in the locker.

"NO!-" She opened the door."-Your little boy hands are part of the problem!" She closed the door after that statement before opening it again and speaking up "No offense Marco" and then closing the door again. Marco then brushed his hand against the sleeve of his hoodie to remove the remaining hearts before answering, "None taken."

"Though isn't there SOME way I can help? Maybe there's something in your book of spells that can stop this, or perhaps we can use your dimensional scissors to get home faster?". Marco suggested

"I lent the scissors to Jackie. She said she wanted to use her hoverboard to go sight-seeing" Star answers, which surprises Marco. "Where is she now, then?" Marco questioned, hoping to find Jackie so he can borrow the scissors from her. "Probably in France. She said she wanted to try boarding down from this giant tower," Star answered.

* * *

Paris, France

"Woo-hoo!! This was worth skipping school for!" Jackie shouted into the air as she used her board's anti-gravity features to rail-slide down the Eiffel Tower. Thanks to the secure harness and built-in safety-features, she didn't have to worry about falling off, either.

"I am so thanking Star when I get back tonight," Jackie said as she reached to bottom. Thankfully, no one was around to yell at her. "OK, the Eiffel Tower is done. Next up are the Pyramids!" Jackie said as she used Star's scissors to Cairo.

* * *

Darn, I can't possibly call her if she's over there, Marco thought before speaking up again. "OK, then what about your Magic Book of Spells?" Marco asked. Star suddenly got quiet for a bit before speaking up, "I gave it to Janna."

Marco got a horrified look as he thought of everything Janna could do with access to the Spell Book, "Why?! Would you give it to Janna?!? "

"I lost a bet, OK!" Star yelled as she briefly recalls the bet she made with Janna a few days ago.

* * *

**Flashback**

"So, Janna, just to be clear if I can pull this tablecloth without breaking a single thing I get to keep your hat for a week?" Star said as she and Janna stared at multiple dishes stacked on top of each other with a glass on the top in the kitchen table at Marco's house.

"ahuh, but if you do break a single thing, I get to keep your spellbook for a week," Janna said while smirking.

"OK, I got this," Star said as she prepared to pull the tablecloth from underneath the stacked dishes.

"And a one, and a two..."

CRASH*

CRASH*

CRASH*

**Flashback Over**

* * *

It's safe to say that from that day on, Star was banned from the kitchen, though she was curious about how Mr. Diaz was able to replace all the dishes she broke the next day immediately.

Star's mind was immediately brought back to her current situation.

"Do you wanna help me or not?!" Star said in a panicked tone.

"OK! But we gotta talk about that betting thing later!" Marco said while running past the locker to find Janna.

* * *

Janna was currently looking through Star's spellbook with a smirk. When she made that bet with Star, she was already sure that she would win, especially with how reckless Star was. Though she had to admit, she did feel bad about getting the dishes at Marco's house destroyed.

"Now where is the history portion here" Ever since Janna learned about the Celestials, she had been obsessed with them, especially when she found out that they were pretty ancient due to them being ageless. Now she was trying to learn as much as she could about them in hopes of meeting one of them in person.

Since the last sighting of the Celestial was over 500 years ago, Janna thought that there might be some information about them in Star's spellbook since it documented the history of Mewni going back hundreds of years. Plus, if she happened to find some cool spells, maybe she could try them out for herself.

_I wonder if Mewni worshipped a Celestial in the past?_ Janna questioned to herself before seeing Marco run up to her.

"Janna! there you are!" Marco said in a panicked tone before kneeling next to Janna and the now open book.

"Woah Marco, what's the rush? Did you land another basketball shot on a moving cart again?" Janna said with a smirk.

"First of all, we agreed never to speak of that, and secondly Star's in trouble, so I need the book," Marco said in a severe tone.

Hearing this, Janna got a worried look before handing the book to Marco. _I'll just use it later_, Janna thought to herself while standing up, letting Marco use the book while she watched from behind.

"And could you give me back my house keys, please? I'm going to need them later," Marco added.

_Drat_, Janna silently mouthed as she gave him back his keys. _I need to figure out how he does that._

Meanwhile, Star was pulling off the last of the purple hearts from her face and dropping them through the opening in the locker. There were enough to form a small pile outside, though thankfully, they seemed to have stopped appearing "OK, Star, if no one else comes near you and Marco gets back with the book and a solution, you'll be in the clear." Star said in relief as she wiped the sweat from her brow before leaning back into the locker in comfort.

That relief was short-lived, though, as she immediately heard the school bell ring. The sight of so many other boys caused even more hearts to appear on her face."No no no no no no no" Star said while spinning with a panicked look as she tried to get rid of them.

Eventually, the bell stopped ringing, "Huh, that wasn't so bad, " Star said, who was now covered with many purple hearts on her arms and face. However, its remarks like that the universe loves to refute. At that moment, the girl's eyes widened when he heard a guy's voice outside. Despite her mind telling her to keep her eyes shut, she ended up looking outside the locker and saw four buff guys in swim trunks.

"Alright, boys, we're gonna do our warmup out here today, pools been compromised," one of the guys said before speaking up again. "Poop, it was poop, someone pooped in the pool," he said with a severe tone before suddenly becoming enthusiastic "OK! let's get started" before they began warming up

Star couldn't look away as she bent the opening of the locker easily while hearts rapidly started popping off, filling up the locker she was in.

* * *

"So Marco, what's wrong with Star exactly?" Janna questioned Marco who was currently going through the book's pages

"She's going through something called Mewberty," Marco answered before groaning in frustration. "Argh! Isn't there something like a glossary in here."

"Did someone say Glossaryk?" The pages flipped fast, shooting out a one foot tall bald blue man wearing a brown bathrobe and had a pinkish purple gem in his forehead. "Greetings, I am sir Glossaryck of Terms in service to the Magical High Commission and the Butterfly Family of Mewni" He then waved his hand above, causing his name to appear in purple letters.

"Now how may I be of service milady" Glossaryck questioned.

"Uh, I'm not a milady," Marco corrected him while Janna snickered at this.

Glossaryck eyes widened as he leaned his head in as if scanning Marco before speaking up. "Well, could've fooled me. Goodbye," Glossaryck said as he raised one of his arms and closed the book.

"Hey, wait!" Marco attempted to open the book, but this time it wouldn't budge! For a moment, Marco considered using his powers to force it open but decided not to when he heard Glossaryk speak from inside the book.

"This book is for magical princesses only, which you are not," Glossaryk said from inside the book.

"It's not for me. It's for Star," Marco reasoned, hoping that this annoying little man would help him.

"Ah, Star Butterfly. What's wrong with her?" Glossaryck said with slight worry in his tone.

"She's going through Mewberty," Marco said.

"Well, I don't normally make exceptions but-" Glossaryck said while opening the book, Marco smiled thinking that this blue man was now going to give him the info he needs.

"Pudding," Glossaryck said while floating close to Marco's face. Marco got a confused look. "I want pudding," Glossaryck said. "That's it? You just want pudding?" Marco questioned skeptically, not believing that all it took was pudding to get this man to talk.

"Uh-huh," Glossaryck nodded. "High schools have excellent pudding!" "I'll be right back," Marco said while walking away to look for a secluded area to create a bunch of pudding, leaving Janna alone with the blue man.

"So you don't happen to know everything about the book, do you?" Janna questioned Glossaryck, who turned around to look at her.

"Yes, but I'm afraid you need to get some pudding like your friend back there if you want my knowledge," Glossaryck said. Janna simply smirked before pulling out a pudding cup from her pocket before speaking, "Would this suffice?"

"Hmm, I think we will get along just fine," Glossaryk said while smiling.

* * *

A guy who was listening to his earphones while making drumming gestures with his fingers was making his way towards his locker. When he opens it and looks at the mirror, he fails to notice Star, who was now purple and covered in purple hearts with her pupils now being heart shape as well.

"Boy," Star said in a creepy voice as purple hearts drop from her mouth as she extends her finger towards the guy's face. The moment it made contact Star's heart pupil started expanding while the purple hearts completely covered her face.

The guy looks at the place where Star's face used to be until suddenly two heart-shaped eyes could be seen glowing from within and blinking once. The guy, however, merely shrugged as he closes the locker door.

A few moments later, the locker Star is in suddenly starts growing purple heart vines around while seemingly expanding.

* * *

"I'm back!" Marco said while carrying a plate full of pudding cups that he created in the bathroom stall.

He sees Janna, who seemed to be humming to herself with a content smile, which was weird for Marco since most of the time, Janna smiled out of mischievousness. Marco also noticed that Janna was now holding a piece of paper with something scribbled on it. However, he decided to ignore it and proceeded to kneel next to the Spell Book.

"Glossaryck, I have your pudding," Marco said while knocking on the book cover. The book then opens to reveal Glossaryck. _Oh my, I expected him to bring only one buuuuut I ain't complaining_, Glossaryck thought while eyeing the many pudding cups on the metal plate.

"Ahhhhh..." Glossaryck said while pointing to his mouth, causing Marco to get a confused look before speaking up, "What are you doing?" he said in a confused tone.

"You've got to feed me, of course. Pudding doesn't feed itself, ahhhhhhh," Glossaryk said while opening his mouth full again.

"You're joking, right?" Marco asked, deadpan with Janna snickering again from behind him.

"Hmmm, no, I don't think so," Glossaryk answered. Marco simply groaned as he opened one of the pudding cups before proceeding to use a spoon to feed Glossaryck.

"It's... you got it all over your beard," Marco said with a grossed out look before hearing a clicking sound behind him, when turned around he saw Janna recording him now. "Janna! You better not be recording this!" Janna smirked before showing Marco a picture of his undignified, disgusted face.

"That better not go viral!" Marco said in a panicked tone before hearing Glossaryck speak up.

"So... you said Star is going through *burp* Mewberty," Glossaryck said while munching on the pudding.

"Yeah, how do I make it stop?" Marco questioned as he opened another cup of pudding.

"Well, you can't " Upon hearing this, Marco's eyes widen.

"What?!" Marco yelled when he was about to talk Glossaryck beat him to it.

"But you can help her get through it," Glossaryck added, which made Marco calm down a bit. "How?" Marco said

Before Glossaryck could say anything, Marco heard something drop to the floor. When he turned around, he saw Janna was now lying on the floor unconscious.

"Janna!" Marco yelled in a worried tone before running over to her. Glossaryck then floated to the now unconscious Janna and started observing her.

"What's wrong with her?" Marco asked worriedly

"It has begun," Glossaryk said, Marco was confused at this "What has begun?"

"Look, kid, whenever a Mewman girl goes through Mewberty, they release a special pheromone that renders those of the same gender unconscious while those of the opposite gender are rendered docile when they turn" Glossaryk explained.

"Though I'm curious about something," Glossaryk said as he floated close to Marco and started looking at his body up and down, making him uncomfortable.

"What is that?" Marco said nervously

"You seem to be unaffected by the pheromone, despite there already being a large amount released" True to what he said, when Marco looked around, he saw that the place was enveloped by a purple fog that smells a bit like lavender.

"Tell me, kid, what are you?" Glossaryck said while smiling though it didn't make Marco any less nervous.

"W-what are you talking about? I'm a-a human, obviously," Marco stuttered.

Glossaryck simply narrowed his eyes before speaking up again "Well, kid, if you want to help Star, then I suggest you stop her from getting her hands on a specific boy. No idea who might that be, but she'll most likely go after the one she has a crush on.

_Oskar_, Marco thought to himself worriedly before hearing Glossaryck speak again.

"Or someone with powerful **genetics**" Glossaryck said, emphasizing the last part.

"Why?" Marco asked, confused why Star would go after a specific boy.

"Because if she does get her hands on that certain boy, she might never turn back, as the point of Mewberty is to find her a proper mate. It can be someone she already has an emotional connection with or someone who can help give her strong children. Above all, though, she'll be looking for someone who can take care of her when pregnant."

"Wait. What?!" Marco said with a horrified look. Glossaryck just smiled smugly before speaking. "Oh, you know when a male and female do a special dance-"

"Oh my God, No! " Marco's face was red with embarrassment when he realized what Glossaryk was implying.

"You know what, I'm just gonna go look for Star," Marco said as he left, not wanting to hear any more from Glossaryck.

"You have until 3:57 whether or not Star will go back to normal by the way!" Glossaryck says as he takes the leftover pudding and puts them into the book before setting the alarm on his watch to 3:57

He then looked at Marco, who had just turned a corner before thinking to himself; _I wonder if he's one of them._

* * *

Marco was now headed back to where he left Star, hoping that she had stayed put inside that locker. However, he abruptly stopped when he realized how dangerous the situation indeed was, as made evident by how everyone except for him was out cold. _Oh, man. This is bad. If everyone's out cold, then there's no telling what Star could do._ That's when it hit Marco: if everyone was out of it, then he could use his powers without worry. Even though he knew how dangerous things were, Marco couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of letting his skills loose. _But first, time for some upgrades._ Marco then entered a bathroom stall before, mentally preparing himself to materialize the stuff that he needed.

The fight with Rover had made him realize that he couldn't just rely on creating simple objects like a staff or the like anymore. So as part of his training, Marco had been trying to develop more and more complex objects to gain the mental fortitude to handle his powers. Standing in front of the mirror, Marco closed his eyes, concentrating on what he wanted to make.

First off, he created a gas mask to counteract the pheromones and to disguise himself. Even though Glossaryck said he was unaffected, he refused to take that chance. Also, if Star would remember everything going on, he didn't want her to learn about his powers like this. When he opened his eyes again, he looked in the mirror and saw that it had worked. He was now wearing a helmet with a T-shaped visor, a voice vocabulator, an air filter, and decorated in crimson flames. He had modeled it after the Mandalorian helmets he had seen in Star Wars.

_Always did think those helmets were cool. Plus, the jetpacks._

Deciding to go the extra mile, Marco then decked himself out in full Mandalorian armor. Everything was there: the shoulder pauldrons, breastplate, pads, thigh, and shin guards, and gloves. All comfortably resting atop his regular clothes.

_Nice. Maybe I should keep this as a Halloween Costume. Too bad I couldn't get the jetpack_. He had thought about trying, but he realized it would be too complicated, and he didn't want to burn down the school.

"All right, Diaz. Let's go hunting. Oh, man, my voice sounds cool with this thing on!" The boy couldn't help but squeal in joy at the sound of his voice inside the helmet.

_OK. Now I just have to restrain Star until Mewberty is over,_ Marco thought to himself as he exited the bathroom, setting the alarm on his watch for 3:57 PM.

Young Diaz made his way to where he left Star, but as he got closer, his worst fears seemed to be confirmed. Every girl that he passed by was now unconscious on the floor. As he rounded a corner, what he saw shocked him, the locker where Star had been now had some sort of opened cocoon in its place. It appeared to be made from the purple hearts that Marco had seen on Star. "The hearts must have hardened and formed this thing, like a bug going through a metamorphosis," Marco thought out loud. He then looked around and noticed that the purple mist seems to have covered the entire school. Purple vines with heart leaves could be seen growing all over the place.

"Where are you, Star?" Marco said to himself as he walks down the hallway. As he continued, he looked and saw some of the lockers were missing their doors, with one filled with purple hearts.

When he looked inside, he saw the same teen who was drinking from the water fountain was trapped inside.

"Hey are you alright?" Marco questioned as he removes some of the purple vines.

"Hey, answer m--" When Marco got a more precise look at the guy, he saw that his face had a hypnotized look.

_So this is what Glossaryck meant by making them docile,_ Marco thought as he walks down the hallway continuing his search for Star. Hopefully, when this is all over, they won't remember a thing.

After a few more minutes of walking around the school, Star was nowhere to be found. "Damnit, where could she be?" Marco asked aloud, groaning all the while. All right, Diaz, think. If I were magic, hormone-driven Princess hunting down boys, where would I go?

Marco then remembered what Glossaryck said about Star going after the one she has a crush on.

"Shit! OSKAR!" Marco shouted as he immediately ran towards the parking lot where Oskar was earlier that day

When Marco arrived, he got a horrified look at the sight before him.

Oskar, who now also had a hypnotized look on his face, was being held against his car by some sort of creature.

"Oskar!" Marco yelled on impulse but immediately covered his mouth when he realized what he has done. _Ah, crapbaskets._

The creature turned around at the sound, and Marco finally got a good look at what Star had turned into. It was her, but her skin was utterly dark purple, and she had six arms and a pair of shimmering, insect-like wings on her back. Her dress and boots had transformed, being mostly purple now. Her headband had now turned magenta, a pair of antenna with hearts at the end replacing her usual devil horns.

Her now light purple hair was styled, strung up in two pig-tails that seemed to move around, almost as if they were alive. The strangest thing, though, was her eyes. They no longer had any pupils, replaced by giant hearts instead.

"Star!? Is that you?!?" Marco was shocked to see that his best friend was now some sort of boy crazed flying insect creature. _Why does this entire thing remind me of some raunchy monster ?_ Marco immediately pushed such thoughts aside, thinking that despite looking different, this was still his best friend, and he'd be damned if he ran away from her now as he took another step towards Star.

"Star, stop this right now. I know you're not thinking straight, but you have to stop this!" Marco pleaded to Star, hoping that she would listen to him. However, she simply ignored him and went back to pinning Oskar to the car with more purple hearts.

Seeing this, Marco walked closer to her. "Star, will you just listen to me!" Marco yelled as he got closer, but still, Star ignored him while she continued to cover Oskar in more hearts

"I said, STOP!" Marco screamed as he grabbed one of Star's arms, making her face him, using his powers to boost his strength enough to make her face him. At first, Star looked down at her arm and then to Marco, as if she was confused by what was happening. Too late, Marco realized what had happened the last time he had grabbed Star.

"Oh, this is gonna hurt."

Without warning, Star suddenly pinned Marco to a nearby wall shooting the same thread like substance he had seen before, sticking him to the wall before leaving him there and going back to Oskar.

"ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT! I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THIS, STAR, BUT YOU LEAVE ME NO CHOICE!!" Marco ripped a piece of a nearby locker door and turned it into a homemade knife, cutting him free from the threads before turning into bubbles so that no one could hurt themselves with it.

Looking at Star, who was now dangerously close to Oskar, Marco decided to try out something he had been testing after seeing in an anime. Pressing the palms of his hands together before slamming them onto the ground, Marco conjured two giant hands out of the Earth to grab Star, holding her tightly and keeping her away from Oskar.

Star turned around, seeing the strangely familiar boy in armor, and realized that somehow, he was responsible for the hands that had her trapped.

"Sorry, Star, but I can't let you do this," Marco said while looking at Star, who had a surprised look on her face. What little parts of her mind that were still conscious didn't think any of these beings could threaten her like this. While this should have worried her, though, she felt the opposite: she felt excited.

"Booyyy??" Star said in a creepy tone before grinning widely. Without warning, Star broke free from the hands, shattering them and sending debris everywhere, before flying towards Marco at high speed.

"Woah!" Marco sidestepped Star dodging her assault. Star then aimed her six hands shooting the same substance from earlier; however, Marco transformed his gloves into steel blades, ripping the thread to pieces before it could make contact.

Star suddenly gained a predatory look at this sight, grinning widely and making Marco uncomfortable, primarily since the look was directed towards him "Uh Star?" Marco said nervously.

"Boooy," Star said this time, this time with her voice taking on a dreamy/creepy tone. Oh, crud! Before Marco could think of anything else, though, Star charged at him again, this time faster than before.

Thankfully, due to his Celestial nervous system, Marco was able to process information many times faster than ordinary people. As a result, Marco was able to immediately transform his legs into frog legs, allowing him to leap over Star. Before she had a chance to react, Marco followed up by creating some chains in an attempt to restrain the girl before she could make any more moves. Matching his speed, Star simply dodged them before firing another blast of sticky hearts as Marco returned to the ground. Thinking fast, Marco immediately ducked. However, some of the substance managed to hit the visor on his helmet, causing him to be blinded. Marco immediately removed the helmet to try and get a clearer vision. _Wait, why didn't I just use my powers to remove it!_ Before he could scold himself over this mistake, he saw Star fly towards him. Without thinking, Marco threw his helmet at Star, sending her off course crashing into a nearby pole. Marco felt a pang of guilt at this. _Sorry, Star._ When Star floated up, she seemed to be temporarily dazed. _Wait, why did I do that? The Pheromones could still be active!_ Again, Marco wanted to scold himself over another dumb mistake mentally, but he knew he might not get another chance. Without the helmet, he had to end the fight quickly or risk losing himself to the pheromones. Seeing his chance Marco decided to use one of the Moves he practiced last week.

"Crimson Bindings!" Marco yelled before his fingers started changing crimson in color and turning metallic. He then extended them towards Star. While she was able to dodge them, she failed to notice that they haven't retracted themselves, Marco then brought his fingers together, causing the bindings to wrap themselves around Star.

Star tried to break free, but this time she couldn't break the bindings that were wrapped tightly. "Don't worry Star. It will all be over soon," Marco reassured her while looking at his watch, which reads 3:45.

Whenever Star tried to break free, Marco would tighten the bindings a little preventing her from escaping. Marco hated doing this to her best friend, and he hated himself for getting rid of his helmet, which was the only thing hiding his identity. If Star remembered anything about this afterward, then he expected to have a lot of explaining to do.

"Star, I don't know if you can hear me in there, but if you can, then I know you must have a lot of questions. I just want to let you know that you don't need to worry. I'll explain everything to you when this is all over, and I hope that you'll still want to be my friend," Marco said as sincerely as he possibly could.

Suddenly, Star let out a whimper of pain, and then uttered a single word: "Marco?" When Marco heard her say his name, his eyes widened in shock, causing him to loosen his grip. Star's pained expression then turned into a wicked grin, before suddenly breaking free of the binding. Marco had no choice but to retract his attack, causing his fingers to return to normal. Star immediately tackled Marco to the ground, and before the boy could do anything, Star shot at Marco's arms and legs binding them together.

"Star, stop this!" Marco pleaded in a panicked tone expecting Star to go back to Oskar now that she had him restrained. Instead, Star started looking at Oskar and then back at him as if choosing between the two. Marco couldn't help but notice this. _Wait, is- is she trying to choose between Oskar and me? But why would she want me, she doesn't like me like- oh no_. Marco suddenly remembered everything Glossaryck had said about who Star was looking for: someone she had a strong emotional connection to, someone who could take care of her, and someone with the genes to create powerful children. Marco already had the first two checked off, but with his heritage, that gave him all three!

_HOW THE HELL COULD I FORGOT ABOUT THAT I'M HALF CELESTIAL? NOW SHE'S GONNA COME AFTER ME FOR SURE!!!_ For the third time in the last few minutes, Marco wished he could mentally slap himself for his stupidity. When he saw a dark shadow above him, he snapped out of his mental scolding and got a very nervous look on his face. Star was hovering right above him, focusing on him and him alone and grinning widely, like he was something good to eat. _Oh no, I've seen enough harem anime to know where this leads!_ Marco thought. He tried to create another knife or anything to get him out of this mess. Before he could, though, Star suddenly blasted him point-blank with some sort of purple mist. It took a few seconds for him to realize that his mist was, in fact, the same pheromones Star was exuding. Only this time, he was getting a far more concentrated dose.

"Star, what *cough* are you doing!?" Marco managed to get out as she continued to blast him with more of the pheromones. When Marco tried to materialize anything, he suddenly felt his head hurt. As a result, any attempt to use his powers ended with any objects made to fall apart.

_Why does my head feel so weird? I can barely focus, bare-bar-ba_, Marco thought as he felt himself falling into a daze.

The creature smiled. What parts of her brain that still operated couldn't help but feel satisfied. While part of its brain still wanted her to return for the other male with the keytar, every fiber of it knew that the male below her was the one. The creature had been surprised that any of the males in this area could shake off her pheromones, let alone be able to subdue her. While it took more effort than she expected, the male was now hers, and she could hardly believe how powerful he was! Whatever dim parts of her mind that recognized her from the before time knew that he was strong, but not to this extent. The children they could have would be unstoppable. But first, the creature decided that she must relish in her victory.

Seeing that he had finally started to succumb to the pheromones, Star wrapped Marco in even more threads before carrying him bridal style to the rooftop. She then paused, looking up at the sky and basking in her victory and what was to come with her chosen mate.

"Star." The creature looked down at the boy. Despite everything, part of him still had the power to resist as he weakly squirmed in Star's hold. "Star, please stop this. This isn't you," he begged. Paying his words no mind, Star then started to remove the armor Marco made. He could only squirm in a useless attempt to break free. Every time he would try to call forth his power, his head would ache, preventing him from escaping. When the last of Marco's armor was removed, he felt helpless against Star, who was now looking at him like a predator who has captured its prey.

With what little willpower he had left, Marco was able to get a look at his watch and saw that it was now 3:52. _Five...five more minutes. I have to get her back...to normal in the next five minutes or lose her forever._ The thought of losing the friend that had brought so much fun and purpose into his life seemed to ignite a fire inside of him.

Deep within Marco's mind, in a familiar setting that he couldn't recall in his current state, a sphere of light began to hum and vibrate before glowing even brighter. As if it was acting in response to Marco's thoughts.

_I can't give up now! I just have to hold her off for five minutes!_ With all his willpower, instead of trying to create an object, the young half-Celestial focused it on his shapeshifting. _Think of what you need to stop Star!!_

After a few seconds, Marco started screaming, causing Star to back off in shock. "Aaaarrrggghhhh," Marco rolled off his back to reveal a pair of massive, metallic wings protruding out of his back, with feathers that seemed to double as blades. Before Star could restrain him again, Marco used his powers to strengthen his muscles temporarily to break free of his bindings, before flying up into the sky with Star following him.

Marco was now flying into the sky above Echo Creek Academy, with Star on his trail, never losing her predatory grin. _It's like she's enjoying the hunt_, Marco thought as he looks at his watch- _3:54 just three more minutes._

Star shot more of her thread at Marco again. Seeing this, he covered his body with his wings and began to spin around like a top, deflecting the blast.

Marco could feel the effect of the pheromones wearing off now that the mist no longer surrounded him. _3:55 just a little more. Wait where did Star go?_ Marco had taken his eyes off his watch for a second, but now Star was nowhere to be seen. Using his enhanced senses, Marco tried to search the sky, seeing where his friend had gone.

He then felt something tackle him from behind. When he turned his head, he saw that it was Star who now had a crazed look in her eyes before wrapping her arms around Marco's body with the top pair grabbing onto his wings, causing them to fall from the sky.

"Let go, Star!" Marco yells as they start falling, thinking quick Marco transformed one of his arms into a gorilla arm before grabbing Star from behind him and throwing her in front of him. When Star managed to correct herself and flew towards Marco, he decided to end the fight. Despite not wanting to hurt Star, he knew that he needed to do this for her own good.

Marco then created a giant rocky first, and combined with his Gorilla arm, began to punch Star like there was no tomorrow.

Cue Jotaro Kujo's Battle Music from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure /NFjE5A4UAJI?t=240)

Marco unleashed a flurry of punches on Star, holding back just enough to keep from seriously injuring her. After a few seconds, Star finally lost consciousness and began falling to the ground. Thinking fast, Marco immediately flew down to catch Star before she fell to her possible death.

(End Music)

Marco transformed one of his arms into a tentacle arm before extending it forward and wrapping itself around Star as he brings her to him closer, carrying her bridal style as descends to the ground.

When Marco landed on the ground, he heard a beeping noise from his watch. He saw that it was now 3:57. Before he knew it, Star's body started glowing in a flash of light, causing Marco to close his eyes when he opens it, he saw that Star was turning back to normal, with her insectoid features falling off of her as purple hearts onto the ground.

"Star, you're back!" Marco says happily as he laid Star down on a pile of purple hearts.

"Star?" Marco said worriedly when he saw Star wasn't waking up.

"She'll be out for a while," a familiar voice spoke from behind Marco, startling him in the process.

When he turned around, he saw that it was Glossaryck who had the same smug smile he had from before "G-glossaryck!?" Marco said in an alarmed tone, especially since he hasn't retracted his wings yet.

"That's right kid, it's me, Glossaryck! And before you ask yes, I saw the whole thing," Glossaryk said smugly.

Marco remains quiet while sweating nervously while thinking whether or not someone else witnessed the event. "All right, I can explain."

"I don't think you can. But as much as I'd love to hear you try, don't worry, kid. No one else saw what happened. And don't worry about Star, she'll only remember bits and pieces of what transpired. However, it seems that my suspicions were correct". Glossaryck said, making Marco even more nervous.

"R-really? What exactly is that suspicion Glossaryck," Marco said nervously as he retracts his wings.

"Do I have to spell it out? Of course, it's whether or not you're a Celestial, my boy".

As soon as he said, "Celestial," Marco felt like his heart could jump out of his chest in shock.

"I have to say; it's been a long time since I've met one, you know. Though what puzzles me more is to find one living on the same planet where we sent my student to. And for you to not only befriend said student but be living with her under the same roof." Glossaryk said as he gestured to Star before speaking up again.

"I knew those stories about you guys dying weren't true. I'm also surprised to meet one as young as you," Glossaryk said.

Knowing Marco couldn't possibly lie his way out of this one, he decided to speak up. "It's because I'm only half-Celestial. My mother was human, Glossaryck."

Hearing this, Glossaryck eyes widened briefly before speaking up, "A hybrid you say, I can't believe they actually did it. I thought they would never trust a non-Celestial again especially after the whole '**incident**' "

"Incident?" Marco questioned

"Oh, that's not for me to say, kid. Now, does Star know about you?" Glossaryck questioned, now with a very serious look on his face.

Marco shook his head at this.

"I see. Well, then, that may partially explain why she didn't go after you from the start. It took her some time, but eventually, part of her brain realized that you had immense power within you. Be grateful you fended her off when you did. As fascinating as it would be, I don't think the universe is ready for Butterfly-Celestial hybrid kids running around."

Hearing this made Marco's face turn as red as his hoodie. "Do you have to phrase it like that?"

"Relax, I'm just messing with you." The blue man said chuckling. However, then the look on his face became very serious. "You're putting yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, you know. The Celestials were long sought after for their power, with many foolhardy groups trying to gain control of it. Now that you're friends with the Princess of Mewni, you'll become as big a target as her. If the wrong people were to find out what you are, they would seek to use you for their own purpose," Glossaryck said in a serious tone.

"I won't let that happen, and I'll make sure no one finds out," Marco said with a determined look.

"Does that include Star?" Glossaryk asked, catching Marco off-guard with the question.

For the past few days, Marco had wondered if he should finally tell Star what he was, but he always pushed the thought aside.

"I--" Before Marco could answer Glossaryck cut him off, "Well looks like Star is waking up," Glossaryck said while pointing to Star, who was now coming to.

"Star!" Marco runs to Star immediately, leaving Glossaryck with his thoughts. _The universe really works in mysterious ways,_ he thought before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"You're awake," Marco cried out in relief as he hugged Star, who happily returned it. This hug was interrupted by a buzzing noise.

The two pulled away as Star moved her hair to the side to reveal two small insect wings causing Star to squeal happily.

"*Gasp* I got my Mewberty wings!" Star said happily before putting her hair in a ponytail.

"*Gasp* does that mean you can fly?" Marco asks excitedly remembering his experience flying from earlier

"Let's test it out!" Star exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Marco's hand with no adverse consequences. She then jumped, flying through the air with Marco for about 3 seconds before falling to the ground "Nope," Star said deadpan.

* * *

Later, everyone's brushed off what had happened, with the Principal deciding to let everyone head home early. When Marco asked whether Star remembered what happened during Mewberty, she said she didn't remember. All she could recall were bits and pieces of fighting someone. _Good, then my secret's still safe,_ Marco thought, relieved since he wouldn't have to explain to Star that he was the one who fought her.

"By the way, Marco, where were you during the whole Mewberty thing?" Star questioned.

This caused Marco to jump in place before answering, "Uh, I actually don't remember since I was also affected by your pheromones Star," Marco responded nervously.

"Hmm, that makes sense. People involved in Mewberty usually don't remember anything," Star said until, suddenly, an image appeared in her head. It was of a boy who was also wearing a red hoodie, restraining her. He could hear echoes of his voice, but when she tried to remember his face, he couldn't recall it. _Who was that?_ Star thought as she looked at Marco _Was that-no, it couldn't be. Marco is only a human,_ Star thought as she pushed the image in her head aside as she and Marco made their way home.

Unknown to Marco, there was a now a small crack growing on his arm.

* * *

CELESTIAL JOURNAL

Limb Generation- using their ability to shapeshift, Celestials are able to grow additional body parts like extra arms or legs. This also allows them to grow parts that are not natural to their current form like wings or even a tail.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello my dear readers Rothem here back with a new chapter again. I have to admit seeing how other writers can get a bit 'raunchy' when they are also writing mewberty, I was a bit uncomfortable with making this chapter thankfully I had my beta reader to help me who by the way has a message as well like usual.**

**Hey, everybody, it's your beta editor Jay here! Of all the chapters that ROTHEM had planned, this was one of two that I looked forward to doing the most. Why? Well, three reasons:**

**First, ROTHEM agreed that the Mewberty story would be the first real opportunity for Marco to cut loose with his powers. We added in the pheromones thing so that there wouldn't be anyone able to witness Marco using his powers.**

**Second: It gives us the opportunity to write some cool action scenes and load them with references.**

**And three, and I need you to pay attention to this one: the shipping fuel. A lot of fanfic for the show that deals with Mewberty go one of two ways with it. They either have her go after Oskar like in the show or make Marco her target because of StarCo. So, why not?**

**See you guys next chapter, becasue this is going to be the one where things really hit the fan! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go buy a new suit for a dance.**

**Rothem: Yeah anyway feel free to leave a review as they are always appreciated. Also feel free to favorite or follow the Story for those of you who haven't yet.** **By the way here are the responses for my two reviews from the previous chapter.**

**Starco4everr-thank you very much, glad to see your continued support for this story.**

**Gobert600-while I don't want to spoil any of my plans for the story, the scissors will be owned by Marco at least since he's the one who worked to win them.**

**Anyway see you guys next chapter!**


	13. Blood Moon Ball Part1

We open on a stage with a big red curtain in the front. A spotlight shines on a young man wearing blue jeans and a black hoodie with the Assassin's Creed Logo on the back. The hoodie partially obscures his face, but if you look closely, you can make out blue eyes and dirty blonde hair.

Hello there. I'm your friendly beta-editor, RJ Writing Ink, with an important message.

Why am I here? It's simple: ROTHEM was having a hard time trying to get this chapter done, and since I'm stuck at home due to the Coronavirus shutting down everything in the US, I needed stuff to do. So we decided to make a bet to see who could do this chapter better, with the winner's getting published. If you're reading this, it means we went with mine.

This next chapter is going to be adapting one of the pivotal moments in the series, the Blood Moon Ball. ROTHEM had always planned to have Star learn about Marco's true nature, and he thought that one of the big Starco moments in the show would be ideal. As a result, expect some heavy things to go down in this chapter that are going to affect the story going forward. And it's going to be awesome!.

By the way, this chapter was so long, we had to split it into two so you could guys could digest it. Now, on with the story.

* * *

It was late afternoon at Echo Creek Academy, and the school parking lot was filled with the sound of Oskar's keytar. The young man had already gotten out of class for the day, so he had decided to spend that time working on his music; though truth be told, he had only managed to remix Twinkle Twinkle Little Star into a rock song.

"Maybe I should come up with a song for Star to thank her for getting me this golden girl. What do you think, Betty White?" (yes, he named his keytar Betty White). And to let her know that there were no hard feelings about the Mewberty thing.

It had been a while since Star had gone through Mewberty, but it had already made its mark on the school's history. The day after, Star had made it a point to apologize to everyone in the school for what happened, even using her magic to repair the damage she had caused. However, she made it a point to pull Oskar aside and say sorry to him in private. Even though Oskar knew it wasn't her fault, he could tell she still felt a little guilty. Hopefully, this song will convince her that it's water under the bridge.

At that moment, though, Oskar's thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like an explosion, followed by an intense burst of heat. Taking his unseen eyes off his keytar, Oskar saw that the Earth had opened its fiery maw in front of him. After the geyser of fire subsided, a dark and ominous looking carriage appeared, pulled by a flaming unicorn skeleton. Moments later, he could hear the door open and saw a young man in dress clothes and shades calmly making his way to the school's entrance, each step leaving a trail of fire in his wake.

"Hey, man, that's a handicapped spot," Oskar said to the visitor. The stranger either didn't hear him, though or didn't care as he kept on walking.

"Man, the nerve of some people," Oskar remarked before looking at the carriage again. Hmmm. Oskar got off the hood of his car and walked over to the carriage with his phone out. "Hey, do you mind if I use you like an album cover? You're like a Victorian version of the Ghost Rider." Oskar casually asked.

With every step the young man calmly took inside the school halls, he seemed to exude confidence. Onlookers could do nothing but stare with a mixture of awe and fear at this new visitor, whispering in hushed voices.

"whoa, who is that?"

"lookit."

"oh my gosh, he's gorgeous."

"*gasp* he's hot."

Even Jackie couldn't help but gawk as she passed him by on her hoverboard (she likes girls, but this guy's just that hot), with Janna openly drooling.

The stranger was flattered by all the compliments, but he wasn't in this place to show off; no, he was here on a mission, and his target was in the room up ahead.

Opening the door to the now silent classroom, everybody could only stare at the visitor as his eyes fell on his target, a young girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes, an adorable devil headband, and pink hearts on her cheeks. Star Butterfly, the Princess of Mewni, the prettiest troublemaker he'd ever met, and if things went well that night, his soulmate.

Using his powers to move anyone out of his way, he lifted himself into the air until he was floating right in front of the Princess, before taking off his shades. Floating in front of Star, with his horns, three eyes, and purple skin, was Tom Lucitor, Prince of the Underworld. And the last person she wanted to see.

"Hey Star, I'm here to take you to the Blood Moon Ball," Tom said as he held out his hand, using his fire to decorate it with a red crescent moon.

If it had been any other girl, they would have jumped at the chance to go to a party with the handsome young man. Fortunately, Star wasn't going to fall for such a cheap trick. After processing what he had just said, Star got up from her desk and grabbed the unwanted visitor by the wrist before dragging him to the parking lot.

"No, no, no, no, nope. You need to leave right now! So take your fire, your smooth pickup lines, and your dead horse and go back to the Underworld!" Star said as she finally got to the parking lot, leaving a trail of fire in the process.

"Wait, I'm dead?" The horse in question asked.

"Well, yeah, man. You're a skeleton. What did you expect?" Oskar said, still taking pictures with his phone. However, Star was too frustrated even to notice her crush's presence, wanting to get as far away from Tom as possible.

Tom couldn't take the hint. Instead, he just used his fire to lay the girl in his arms gently. "Aww, come on, Starship. It's the Blood Moon Ball! It only happens once every 667 years!"

Not skipping a beat, Star flipped out of his arms and landed in the parking lot, more annoyed than ever. "Read my lips, Tom. We BROKE UP. Period. Now just get lost!" Star then turned to leave once more, waving hi to Oskar as she went back inside.

_Okay, smooth-talking's not working. Time for Plan B,_ Tom thought as he prepared to change tactics. In hindsight, he should have known that Star wouldn't fall with for the smooth guy act, so he decided to go for the sincerity route.

"Wait, wait, wait, Star, hold up, and hear me out. I know we ended on a bad note." Tom anxiously said, grabbing her wrist to try and keep her from leaving

"Understatement of the century," Star remarked as she put her hands to her hips.

"But I want to let you know that I'm a changed man!" Tom continued. "I've got a new life coach, Brian." The Prince then pointed to his carriage, where a fat guy in a green shirt popped out and said, "Hey," before darting back inside. "He's awesome. A happy bunny, and, and I have been anger-free for fifty-three days!" Tom said as he proudly held up a pink bunny and showed off his anger-free button.

"F-fifty-three," Star said in shock. She had to admit, that was pretty impressive, more so given that this was Tom they were talking about.

"Don't you want to pet my little bunny?" Tom said, holding out the fluffy creature that seemed content to sit in the demon's hands in the warm sun.

"Well, he is adorable.." Star said as she, without meaning to, started to reach for the bunny.

The moment was broken, though, by the sounds of a familiar voice going "hi-ya!" Before anyone could process what was happening, Marco jumped out of nowhere and managed to karate-chop Tom's hand off, sending it and the bunny, falling to the ground (that is so cool!)

* * *

"Back off, Demon!" Marco shouted, taking a defensive stance as he got between the stranger and Star. "Marco, what the heck are you doing here!"

* * *

Marco had been coming back from the bathroom earlier as he was heading back to class, though he didn't have to use it. In truth, he had been trying to figure out what the deal was with the mysterious crack on his arm. He hadn't noticed until the day after the Mewberty Incident when he went to take a shower. He figured that he had gotten it from fighting Star in her Mewberty form, but that it would go away in a few days. It didn't; instead, the injury seemed to have grown, slowly but surely spreading its way across his arm. He had been hiding in the bathroom to use his powers to heal himself, to no avail. The best that he could do was make some cover-up to hide it under his hoodie before heading back to the class.

That's when he saw Star dragging off someone who looked like a demon, and any thoughts about the injury got replaced by his concern for Star. Which now leads us here, with him just chopping the Prince of the Underworld's hand off, not realizing who he may have made an enemy out of.

Tom looked at his hand for a moment before his mind registered what had just happened, then he started to growl in a mixture of pain and anger. Oh, crud. This isn't good. Star thought. Brian must have thought so, as well, as he ran to Tom's side and started walking him around in circles, trying desperately to keep him from blowing his top. "Walk it out, and talk it out, my friend. Walk it out." Tom obeyed his life coach, but he never took his eyes off the Latino boy who had interrupted him and chopped off his hand.

Seeing this, and thinking of how bad things were about to get, Star grabbed her best friend by the shoulder. "Um, Marco, I know you can take care of yourself, but you're gonna want to run, like, right now!"

"Wait, no, no, no, no, no! It's all good. We're all good!" Tom desperately got out as the pain subsided and used his powers to grab his arm and bunny. The arm then floated to his body, tied to it by an ethereal tendril as it began to reattach itself. Tom immediately used it to pet his bunny. "Got the angry's out! It's why I have my support system! *sigh* everything is under control.

"Marco, don't karate him. This is... Tom." Star said, sighing heavily on the last part.

"Wait, demon ex-boyfriend Tom?" Marco asked, his eyes darting back and forth between his bestie and the demon. Star had told him all about her ex, his anger issues, and how she had dumped him not long after getting the Wand. Her trying to blow off steam from the breakup was what led to her getting sent to Earth in the first place.

"Nice to meet you, Marco," the demon prince said, spitting out the last word as he shook his hand.

"Um, Star, I know I'm a little late, but why is your ex here?" Marco asked.

"Um, he wants to take me to the Blood Moon Ball," Star said nervously while trying not to look at either of the two boys (or Oskar, who was just watching the whole thing from the sidelines).

Red flag! Marco thought to himself. "Star, I know you can handle anything, but as your best friend, I feel obligated to tell you this: never go with a predator to a second location." Indeed, Marco's Creep-Sense was going off like crazy, telling him that this guy didn't have the best intentions.

"Okay, look, I get it. You think I'm a total jerk, Star. But I'm just asking you to give me a chance. After all, I'm not the only one with horns." Tom said, pointing to Star's signature headband, causing her to smile and blush. Tom had gotten her the headband on one of their first dates, and despite the breakup, it remained one of her happiest memories.

"Why didn't you tell me that I was dead?" his horse asked, ruining the moment. "Look, no pressure or anything, Starship. But if you want to come, just ring this bell." Tom said, handing her a small, black bell with a diamond moon on it. "I hope to see you there," Tom said as he got into the carriage, which then ignited with fire once more

"Whoops, I almost forgot the little hammer," Tom said as he stuck his head out the window to plop the object in question into her hands. That done, the carriage was then covered in flames as it sank back to the depths of the Underworld.

Oskar then walked up to his two friends and just asked Star, "So, that guy's your ex-boyfriend?"

* * *

As soon as they got back to the Underworld, Brian could tell that Tom was struggling to keep his temper under control. Once they got to their destination, the demon prince slammed the door to the carriage open.

"Brian, cancel all my appointments tomorrow. I've got a hoodie-wearing pest to take care of."

Tom was using every ounce of willpower to keep himself from losing it over this monkey-wrench in his plans to win Star back. Everything was going well, despite the rough start. Another minute and he was confident that she would say yes. Then that little human had to step in, mess things up, and to top it off, managed to cut his arm off! To make matters worse, that boy, Marco, seemed unusually close to Star. Close enough to know that he was Star's ex. Just who does that little punk think he is? He can't actually like Star like that, can he?!? Tom's mind was racing a mile a minute as he thought everything through.

"Um, sir, I don't think that's a good idea." Brian nervously said. "Even if your plans tonight follow through, trying to get rid of that kid could ruin everything. Again. And you want to show Star that you've changed, right?"

Calming down, Tom sighed. "You're right, Brian. But just to make sure, tell the guards to be on the lookout that Marco boy. There's a chance he may try and come to the Ball and interfere again. If they catch him, they know what to do." Tom said.

"On it, sir."

"Now, I'm going to go to my room and get ready. Call me when the guests start to arrive."

"Yes, sir.

With that, Tom Lucitor stepped into his room and doused his face in the water in his bathroom.

"Alright, Tom, you've already come this far. Don't trip when you're at the finish line. Once Star comes to this dance and realizes that we're soulmates, she'll be all hers and forget all about meddling punk."

Tom then grinned at his reflection in the mirror, thinking of what he'd do to Marco if he tried to mess with him again, before going to get changed for the upcoming dance.

* * *

After Tom had left, Star spent the next few minutes explaining to Oskar who the demon was, how they used to date, and how she dumped him when he couldn't control his anger. After that, she and Marco decided against returning to class and used her scissors to take them home. (good thing, too. Tom's footsteps had set off the fire alarms, so school was let out early.)

"You know, I thought that you were exaggerating when you said your ex had anger issues, but you weren't kidding. He looked ready to burn me alive! And the school!" Marco said as they stepped out of the portal onto the doorstep of the Diaz house.

"Yeah, he can get pretty bad. Honestly, though, I'm impressed that he didn't end up doing just that." Star remarked, trying to make an effort to stay focused. Marco knew Star well enough, though, to see that she was still thinking about what had Tom had said.

_I got to get her mind off that_, Marco thought as they opened the front door to head inside. Marco didn't like to judge people that he barely knew, but from what Star had told him and what he had seen, he felt like Tom was terrible news.

"Dad, we're home!"

"Mijo! What are you two doing home so soon? School shouldn't be out for a while, right?" Mr. Diaz shouted from the backyard as he was working on a new sculpture. This time, he was trying to get the laser puppies stacked into a tower and copy their likeness into stone.

"Something came up at school, and the day's almost done, so we just decided to head home. We'll be up in Star's room!"

"Alright, Marco. You know where to find me if you need me!"

Smiling to himself, Marco then followed Star up the stairs. "So, Star, talk to me. You're not considering going with that creep to his dance, are you?"

Star couldn't help but silently chuckle when she heard Marco call Tom a "creep." "I don't know, Marco. I mean, I've known him for years and seen what it's like when his anger gets out of control. But did you see how he kept himself under control back there? If he's changed for the better, shouldn't I give him a second chance?"

_Yeah, but said second chance could mean him trying to date you again_, Marco thought. Before he could say what he was thinking, though, he suddenly felt the arm with the crack twitch in pain. Despite trying to stifle it, the Celestial hybrid let out a small grunt of discomfort. He was so distracted that he came close to tripping on the stairs. Fortunately, he was able to grab onto the railing.

Unfortunately for him, Star heard him. Turning around, she saw the look of discomfort he had, which concerned her greatly. "Marco? Are you all right? Please don't tell me Tom cursed you or something when you shook hands!"

"Star, you're overreacting. I doubt he could curse me like that. I probably just pulled a muscle practicing." Marco said, hoping she'd buy it. The last thing he needed was for her to see the crack on his arm. _She'll probably think she did that to me while in Mewberty. Or worse, she may think something's up._

"Marco, you don't need to act tough for me. Just let me see your-" before she could finish her sentence, she heard a familiar voice in her head.

**_Let go, Star!_**

This sudden shout caused Star to pull back. _What was that? Was that...another flashback_, Star thought as she recalls more of her time in Mewberty. It was of the same mysterious boy, only this time, she swore he had what looked like metal wings coming out of his back. _Okay, this is getting weird_. Before she could ponder it any further, Marco spoke up.

"Uh, Star, are you alright? You kind of zoned out for a second, and not like how you normally do."

"Oh, uh, yeah. I just remembered something. What were we doing?"

"Well, you were worried that Tom cursed me, but I'm pretty sure I'm fine. Ever since the Monster Arm, I think I built up an immunity to curses or something." Marco said, moving his arm around to alleviate Star's feelings further.

"Whatever you say, Diaz," Star remarked while playfully rolling her eyes.

"So, are you seriously considering Tom's invitation?"

"Maybe. I feel like I should at least give Tom a second chance. Tell you what, give me a little bit, and I'll get back to you on it.

"All right, then. I'll be in my room if you need me." Marco said, heading to the door to his room.

"All right, I'll come to get you in a little bit," Star said, walking quickly to her room.

"All right, Star, it should be somewhere around here," Star said as she kept rummaging through her room. And for once, she was wondering why she chose to recreate her place in the castle. She loved all the space, but it made finding things harder than it already was. After a few minutes of searching, she finally found what she was looking for in her room.

"Ah-ha! Here it is!" Star shouted as she held up her prize: a book labeled "Mewberty and You". Her mother had given it to her when she turned 13 so she could better prepare herself for when Mewberty struck. She had read through it already, but after everything that happened during Mewberty, she thought a refresher couldn't hurt.

_It's too bad I don't have Glossaryck with me right now. He probably saw everything that happened_, Star thought as she made her way to her bed. She had loaned Janna the Book of Spells after losing a bet with her, but she had meant to get it back today. If Tom hadn't interrupted everything, she'd have Glossaryck with her to explain everything. Or just annoy her with his dumb riddles.

_On second thought, I don't wish he was here. How my Mom put up with him, I will never know._

Star dismissed those thoughts as she got settled on her bed before opening the book. She quickly began to skim through it until she found what she needed: the chapter on the Mewberty

"Now, let's see what you can tell me," the young girl said as she began reading.

"Mewberty Form"

"The result of the metamorphosis that Mewman girls undergo in the initial stages of Mewberty, this form is meant to serve two purposes: to protect them, and to help them hunt for a potential partner. Due to the need for speed and mobility, the Mewberty Form endows the subject with additional limbs and a pair of translucent wings, allowing them to keep pace with potential targets. Besides, the Mewberty form can fire thin strands of a web-like substance to ensnare its targets. While it's unknown if this is the norm, there are some reported cases in which a Mewman is undergoing Mewberty releases a type of pheromone that places those of the opposite gender in a docile state while other females are rendered unconscious."

"Well, I guess that's what happened to me, given how everyone didn't seem to remember what happened," Star remarked before continuing.

"While these biological traits are thought to be enough to subdue any potential targets, there have been reported to be exceptions. Certain species are said to possess a high resistance or outright immunity to these pheromones, allowing them to resist capture. Should this happen, the person undergoing Mewberty may rely on their enhanced strength to subdue a target."

Star then saw a list of sentient beings that were capable of resisting the effects of Mewberty. As expected, few were capable, and Star concluded that most of them couldn't be the person she thought. The last few, though, were enough to worry. Near the top of the list, written in faded ink, was the word demon.

_Wait, demons can resist someone in Mewberty? And I know that they can use some kind of magic_. As a kid, Star had learned that Demons were some of the few beings in the universe capable of naturally wielding magic. While they were well known for demonic curses and pyromancy, they were also proficient in illusions.

_Wait, the person that thought couldn't have been human. And Tom's a demon. Could he have-_ For a moment, an image flashed through Star's head, one of Tom disguising himself as Marco to trick her while she was in Mewberty. But it only lasted a moment, as Star shook her head in dismissal._ I don't think it could have been Tom. If he had met Marco before today, he would have reacted differently in the Parking Lot today_. Star looked at the next entry, and this one was enough to make her blood run cold: shapeshifters.

"Shapeshifters were a rare species that were not from Mewni; they were from another dimension altogether, one that few ever got to see. Fewer still even knew their true form: as the name suggests, they could change their physical appearance to match any person or animal. Because of this, they had a reputation for being deceptive and hard to read".

"Wait, I remember that guy I fought sprouting wings out his back. *gasp* could he have been a shapeshifter?! GROSS!" Star said, recoiling from the book, disgusted by the mere thought.

Star had remembered how her Mom had told her the purpose behind Mewberty once, how it was meant to help her search for a boy that fit specific qualifications.

A boy that she already had an emotional connection to

A boy who could take care of her while she was pregnant

A boy with genetics to help her have powerful children.

The revelation that she may have tried to hunt a shapeshifter did solve one mystery for Star, though: why she hadn't gone exclusively for Oskar. Oskar had been in a daze during the incident, but he vaguely recalled Star trying to go after him before being faced by that stranger. After that, she had kept her focus on the stranger until Mewberty ended. If it were a shapeshifter like she thought, then her instinctually driven mind would have compelled her to go after them. Something that made her want to vomit in disgust.

That disgust gave way to anger, though, at the idea that this enemy chose to disguise themselves to look like her bestie.

"I swear, if this winds up being another one of Ludo's stupid plans to get the Wand, I am going to, to, I don't know what I'll do!! THIS IS CROSSING THE LINE!!" As she said that, she failed to notice that list continued onto the next page, with one word partially obscured from her sight: -stial.

"Okay, worry about that later, Star. Right now, you've got bigger problems: do I give Tom another chance?" Star did feel like he had changed, or was at least trying to change for her. And while their breakup left a bitter taste in her mouth, she couldn't help but remember all the good times they had. Meeting at the Silver Bell Ball, going on their first date, drinking corn shakes on the beach and getting her trademark headband

Maybe I should give him another chance. And besides, going with him doesn't mean we're going to start dating again, right? With that, Star made her decision. But first, she decided to see what her best friend thought about it.

As she went to get her best friend, she noticed how the sun was already starting to set. "How long was I reading? I have to hurry!"

* * *

_Okay, Diaz, you got this. Just use your powers and make this thing go away_. Marco had been meditating in his room for the last hour or so, trying to get the crack on his arm healed. So far, though, his efforts seemed to have failed him. Also, he somehow managed to conjure up a red sombrero without even thinking. He wound up keeping it, for reasons that he had didn't fully understand. However, it would seem that making the sombrero had only made the situation worse: the crack grew!

_Okay, maybe I don't got this. Should I ask Dad for help? I need to be careful about this. Star's suspicious enough as it is_. Marco couldn't help but notice how much her best friend had been thinking about what happened during Mewberty. So far, she had yet to figure out that it was him that she fought, and he still had no idea how he was going to tell Star that he was half-Celestial.

"HEY, MARCO!"

Marco was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard his door slam open, a result of Star kicking it down with her foot, as was a habit of hers. It also made him emit a startled scream as he almost fell on his back.

"Star!! How many times have I told you not to kick doors open?"

Star simply shrugged at this, and then pulled him to his feet. "Alright, Marco, I thought about it, and I've reached a decision."

"Oh, that's good. I'm delighted to know that you're not-"

"I'm going to the Ball, Marco."

"Wait; what?" Marco could only ask as Star continued to drag him back to her room.

"I said I'm going to the Blood Moon Ball and give Tom a second chance. And I need your opinion on what I'm going to wear."

"Um, Star, need I remind you that this is the guy that you dumped because he was like 'raging volcano,'" Marco remarked while making air quotes with his free hand.

"Yeah, but aren't you always telling me that I should give people second chances. And besides, I think he's really trying to change for me. So shouldn't I at least acknowledge that?"

"Okay, true, but I thought you weren't into him like that anymore. Weren't you into Oskar now?"

"I never said that I was still into Tom, Marco. Besides, just because I go to the dance with him doesn't mean I'm going to take him back."

By now, the two had made it back to Star's room, with Star rummaging through her clothes to find the right outfit, while Marco just stood there. At last, Star found a suitable outfit and went over to her mirror.

"Don't look, I'm gonna change," she said before moving behind her mirror and putting her dress on.

"I still don't know, Star. Maybe I should go with you, provide back up in case you need to bail."

"Marco, you weren't invited, and if you tried to sneak in, I'm pretty sure Tom might have you vaporized right then and there. Besides, you got to trust me to do the right thing for mySEEEELLLLLLLLFFF!" A sudden wave of magic energy bombarded Star's face, changing her hairstyle into something more formal.

"Um, are you okay?"

"Oh yeah. Totally, totally, totally. I just gotta stop using magic on my face."

"Look, all that I'm saying is that guys like Tom never really change," Marco said, hiding his face behind the sombrero to give Star privacy.

"Well, Marco, I'll never know unless I found out for myself," Star said as she put on the last piece of her outfit. "All done, Marco. Now come on, open your eyes. I still need your opinion on how I look."

Marco opened his eyes to look at Star but then felt like his heart skipped a beat. Her long blonde hair had been tied back into a formal bun, with two streaks of blonde framing her face while her signature headband rested on top. She was wearing a single-sleeved pink and red dress that, fittingly, had hearts decorating it. Her arms were covered with long, white gloves and her feet with matching boots (with little hearts on them as well). _Wow, she looks like an angel_, Marco thought to himself as he felt the heat rising to his cheeks in embarrassment.

Marco knew that Star was beautiful. Since he met her, he had often reminded himself of how adorable she was most of the time. Most of the boys his age at Echo Creek Academy seemed to think so, too. Since she started going to their school, many of the guys (and even some of the girls) had developed a crush on Star for her cute looks, energetic personality, and use of magic. Looking at her now, though, Marco realized that she looked breathtaking.

_Wow. And I thought Jackie was pretty, _Marco thought before realizing that she was still waiting on an answer.

"You look...amazing", Marco finally managed to get out of his mouth.

"Aw, thanks, Marco."

Marco then remembered why she was dressed like this. Somewhere deep inside of him, something was telling him don't let her go!

"Don't go," Marco whispered.

"I'm totally going," Star replied before ringing the little bell Tom had given her. Seconds later, the ground began to shake, and a pillar of fire burst out of the ground near the balcony of Star's room. Once the flames dissipated, some sort of Victorian style carriage/elevator hybrid appeared, held aloft by a winged demon chained to it.

As Star went to sit inside the carriage, the demon asked her "which floor, mortal?"

"Um, bottom floor, I guess?"

Marco, though, was not ready to let Star go to this yet. "Okay, Star, maybe I could at least ride with..." He didn't get a chance to finish that sentence, as Star gently kicked him out the door of the carriage.

"I'll be fine, Marco. Quit being such a worr..." Now it was Star's turn to leave her sentence incomplete, as something on Marco had caught her eye. There, on the arm that was hurting Marco earlier, was a small, glistening mark. At first glance, it looked like it was a simple cut or scratch. Scratch or not, it was enough to get Star out of the carriage and to her best friend's side.

"Oh my gosh, Marco, are you all right? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to kick you that hard!"

"What are you talking about, Star? I feel fine. See?" Marco said as she sat up, confused as to why Star was so concerned right now.

"Oh really, Diaz? Then how do you explain this?" Star held up Marco's arm so he could see his injury. To his horror, the boy realized that he was looking at the same crack that he had been trying to hide from Star earlier. It had grown a bit larger since that afternoon, and you could see a faint, glowing light emanating from it.

_Ah, crapbaskets! I had taken my hoodie off earlier, and didn't get a chance to put it back on!_ Marco mentally cursed himself for his absent-mindedness as he tried desperately to not let Star know he was freaking out.

"What, this? I told you, Star, it was from training earlier."

"Oh, really? Since when does training leave you with glowing scars on your body? How long has this been here, Marco! It could be serious!"

"Look, Star, I-"

"What if Tom did end up cursing you? This is horrible! Or wait, what if I did this to you and didn't even realize it. *gasp* or what if it's from the Monster Arm!"

"STAR, THIS WAS MY FAULT!" Marco yelled, trying to get her attention.

"What?" Star could only get out in confusion.

"It appeared on my arm the day after, after the Mewberty Incident."

"Oh, no," Star said dejectedly. "Then, that means I did this."

"Star, as I said, this was my fault. I'm the one who tried to stop you while you were going through Mewberty."

"Wait. What?" Star suddenly said. Marco suddenly realized that he said something he shouldn't have. "But that doesn't make sense. You said you were out cold while I was in Mewberty... Marco, did, did you lie to me?" Star said, her voice now filled with a twinge of hurt.

"I was! I mean, I tried to fight you at first, but then your pheromone thing took effect, and the rest was a huge blur!"

"If that's true, then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to make you worry, Star. I can take of myself." Marco said, trying hard not to raise his voice.

Star looked at him and then at his arm again, before finally saying something. "I was right. You shouldn't go to this party."

"Star, come on, let me help you!

"Help me, Marco? I did this to you when I was in Mewberty, and you still want to go when Tom doesn't want you around?"

"Yes, because I can take of myself. I'm tougher than I look!" More than you know.

"This isn't up for debate, Marco. You're staying here where it's safe, and I'm going." Star said, with an unfamiliar sternness in her voice as she went to get back in the carriage.

"All right, let's get this show on the road. Marco, please don't follow me. We'll talk about this more when I get back." Star said as the door to the carriage closed as it made its descent.

"Star wait!" Before Marco could react, another pillar of flame appeared, and Star was gone

_Why do I feel like I may have just lost Star's trust?_

* * *

Marco's Celestial Codex

Celestial Crack-???????????????

* * *

**Author's Note**:**Another young man with tan skin, messy black hair, and brown eyes can be seen sitting on a chair while absentmindedly reading a book. He can be seen wearing a blue t-shirt with the words undertale as well as black shorts with black slippers. He then turns his head in your direction before getting a look of realization on his face before hiding away the book.**

**Heh sorry about that I almost forgot to leave an author's note. Anyway like my friend RJ said from earlier this is his version of the blood moon ball, in case you're wondering where my version is don't bother since there isn't much difference between our two versions plot wise other than a few scenes.****Also I would like to point out that I got a new cover art which was made by Murphey Stuffs, on tweeter you should go check out his account and other works he's really good. Thank you RJWritingInk for commissioning the cover art by the way.**

**Review Responses**

**Starco4everr- thanks you as always**

**Masked Freak- thank you so much. tbh I was afraid I wouldn't be able to pull it off even before RJWritingInk started helping me. To know that I'm doing a good job with it means a lot to me.**

**Cheshirek3t- nice name for the nachos. Yeah it's a jojo reference.**

**OMAC001- that itch will soon be scratched my friend.**

**OH and by the way since me and my friend RJ both leave messages with each chapter, to avoid confusion mine are in bold while his is not. Anyway see you in part 2 of blood moon ball.**


	14. Blood Moon Ball part2

In the depths of the Underworld, everybody who was anybody was getting ready for one of the biggest, if not the biggest, event in living memory: the Blood Moon Ball. It was one of the most sacred events in all of Mewni and held a special place of reverence for those in the Underworld. Those long-lived demons who were lucky enough to be witness to previous Balls spoke of the grandeur of the night. The sacrificing of pig-goats and other animals, the dancing and music, all leading up to the moment when the Blood Moon would shine its light down on the Underworld to bind two people together for all time. The dance had yet to start, but already demons, goblins, and denizens of the Underworld were beginning to arrive with "party favors" (by which we mean axes, knives, and torture devices).

Much to everyone's dismay, though, the event taking place tonight was a far cry from what they grew up hearing about. Instead of the riotous, bloody, and chaotic ceremony of old, this year's Blood Moon Ball looked more like the school prom you would find on Earth. There were punch bowls, places to get photographs, the whole nine yards. And everyone had Prince Tom to thank for it!

Everyone had heard about how he had gotten dumped by the Princess of Mewni some time ago, and knew that he was using the Ball as a means to win her back. Some of the braver demons even joked about Tom couldn't take no for an answer, albeit out of earshot of the Prince. It was worse than many thought, though. When one torturer had finished hanging up a skeleton, preparing to smash it with his mace, the Prince stepped in.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, guys! Can we ease off on the violence? I'm trying to keep it low-key for Star, okay." Tom remarked as he held his hands up.

"Of course, your majesty. Would you also like us to put up balloons and streamers and giant cupcakes while we're at it? Because if we're going to turn this awesome, sacred event into a damn Hallmark greeting card, let's go the extra mile." A gruff voice said in the most sarcastic tone it could make.

"All right, who said that?" Tom asked.

"Uh, that would be would me, Mr. Triclops. Down here." Tom looked down to see a tall, bald man who seemed to be in his fifties with a thin mustache running down the sides of his mouth and dressed in a formal business suit.

"Hi."

"And you are?" Tom asked. He had no idea who this guy was, but he was already starting to wear thin with his patience.

"Oh, you don't need to know who I am. Just know that I am hilarious and you will quote everything I say. And I'm a producer working for these guys on Earth."

"And you're here, why?"

"Well, it turns out the higher-ups were impressed with my business acumen and invited me to this shindig. But, I'm going to be honest, starting to think I should have stayed home and played video games with my co-workers." The big man said, placing a hand on Tom's shoulder.

"Don't touch the threads, dude." Tom coldly said, glaring at the man all the while.

"All right, all right, I'll get out of your hair. Have fun watching your plan to win back your ex go up in flames!"

_Seriously, who was that?_ Tom thought.

"Excuse me, Master Tom, but Princess Butterfly has arrived," one of his family's horned demon servants announced. Sure enough, the 'elevator' had reached its destination, opening its doors to release its lone occupant and the guest of honor for tonight.

All right, Tom. Just remember to keep your cool, make sure she has a good time, and after tonight, she'll know that we're meant to be.

His musings (and imagining their wedding) were interrupted by an approaching guard. "Master Tom, the Princess Butterfly has arrived."

"And the human?"

"No sign of him, sir. The Princess is alone."

Perfect. One less problem to deal with. "I'm going to go greet my date. See to the rest of the guests. And remember, under no circumstances are you to let that human inside. GOT IT?" Tom almost growled that last part to emphasize his point.

"It will be done, sir."

As the elevator arrived at its destination, Star was trying her best to forget the argument she had with Marco. It wasn't working.

_I can't believe that Marco lied to me about his injury. We're best friends. Best friends don't lie to each other! Especially since I could have hurt him!_

She stopped thinking about that, though, once she felt the elevator come to a stop and opened to let its occupant out.

_Just forget about him, Star. Enjoy yourself tonight, and see if Tom has changed for the better._

As Star climbed out, she got out and admired the view. Same fire-lit corridors, same shades of red, same subtle indications of years of mental scarring.

"Wow, every bit as beautifully gloomy as I remember. Glad to see some things never change."

"Star Butterfly. Don't you clean up nicely?" Tom said as he came over to greet her, now clad in a white tuxedo with a red bowtie.

"Uh, thank you, I guess?" Star wasn't sure if she should have been flattered or offended by that comment. Given its the Underworld, maybe both.

"Oh, here, I got you this," Star said, holding a (hopefully) dead spider. "It's a hair thing for your hair, so you'll fit in." Unfortunately for the young Lucitor, all his gift managed to do was weird Star out. A dead spider alone would freak her out, but ever since Marco had shown her that adorable talking one on his "compootor," she hated seeing spiders hurt.

"That's really... sweet Tom. But I kind of got my own thing going here, so I'm just going to go inside and meet you. Okay, bye." Star then quickly made it inside.

Tom, on the other hand, felt his anger growing again. He had already gone out of his way to make sure she would love this dance. If he wanted her to wear a dead spider, then was that too much to ask?!?

"Hey, Tom?" Brian said, appearing next to him. "You can be positive, but remember that your anger is negative," he said, holding his pink bunny.

Smiling after petting his fluffy bunny, Tom felt his anger subside as he got control of himself again. Just keep it together, Tom. All you have to do is make through the dance, and everything will be golden.

"By the way, Brian, make sure that Mark-"

"Marco, sir."

"That that Marco doesn't get anywhere near here. I don't want him ruining everything."

"Relax, sir. I doubt that he's even thinking of coming to this dance."

* * *

"I need to go to that dance!" Marco said while groaning in frustration. After Star had left, Marco had gone back to his room to try and fix his arm again. Try as he might, he couldn't focus due to the argument he had had with Star.

After about half an hour or so, Marco had given up and decided to return to Star's room. Since he kept the sombrero, he decided to change his outfit into a black mariachi tuxedo, complete with gold shoulder pads and tips. After that, he just sat in her room, watching the Blood Moonrise as he stuffed his face with nacho chips and listened to Mexican music. None of which had done anything to help with the pain he felt in his arm, but he stopped caring about that.

"Let's stay here and have our own Blood Moon Ball, in Star's room, where it's always fun. Whoo-hoo." Marco tried to sound positive, but if anyone were to walk in on him right now, they could tell how defeated he must have sounded.

Unfortunately for him, that was precisely what happened, as his dad started knocking on the door to Star's room.

"Marco, mijo. Are you all right in there?"

Marco wanted to tell his dad that everything was fine and that he was immature. However, he couldn't lie to his father, so he just said the truth: "Not really."

Mr. Diaz then opened the door and walked next to his son before sitting down on the floor.

"So, why are you sitting in Star's room all by yourself and looking so sad?"

"It's Star. Her jerk ex-boyfriend showed up out of the blue earlier today and asked her to this fancy dance he's throwing tonight called the Blood Moon Ball. And even though I thought she was making a big mistake, she decided to go anyway."

"Well, Marco, she is more than capable of making her own decisions, and you have to respect that. But I don't think that's the whole story now, is it?"

"No. Right before she left, we got into an argument about something that happened recently." Marco then went on to explain the Mewberty Incident, how he had to use his powers to fight off Star, and how he had to lie to Star about what had happened to him. He even showed him the crack on his arm.

"...and the day after, I found out this had appeared on my arm. I tried to hide it from Star, but she found out anyway. And now she's upset because she thinks she hurt me, and mad because I lied to her! And I don't know what to do right now!"

Rafael Diaz quietly listened to his son and waited for him to finish before he finally spoke up. "Well, I didn't expect this to happen so soon, mijo."

"Expect what to happen, Dad?"

"This," the Celestial said while pointing to the crack on Marco's arm. "It means that you are in the early stages of your Awakening."

"Awakening?"

"It's...hard to describe, Marco. The Awakening is the process in which a Celestial begins to tap into the full extent of their powers. They begin to get stronger and more capable. Like a dormant part of themselves is starting to awake, hence the name."

"Really?"

"Yes, my son. In order for our physical forms to prepare for this eventual increase in power, they begin to build themselves back up from the inside. That crack on your and the glow leaking out of it is the result of your body adapting in order to handle the full power of a Celestial."

"So, what your saying is that I'm going through Celestial puberty, these are just growing pains, and I have nothing about."

"Not quite. Marco, our people are incredibly rare throughout the universe, and Celestial hybrids are thought to be next to impossible. There really is no telling what could happen to a hybrid during an Awakening. Heck, I was hoping that if you did go through it, you would like already an adult. That's usually when this happens."

"Well, if that's true, then why is it happening when I'm only 14."

"I'm not fully certain, but it's possible it's happening because you've been using your powers more and more in a short amount of time. Tell me, how often have you had to use them since Star moved in?"

"A lot. I've been keeping it to a minimum so no one would notice, but during the Mewberty Incident, I think I started to go all out."

"That would explain why it's happening so soon. My advice is to try and avoid using your powers for now. The crack will hopefully begin to subside, and your powers will begin to develop at a more natural rate."

"Thanks for the advice, Dad. There's a bigger concern I have: Star."

"Ah, yes. Deciding whether or not you should tell her the truth about what you are."

"Exactly," Marco said while standing up from his folding chair. "Ever since I was born, you've taught me that I should try and not let anyone know about my powers. And I was fully prepared to do that! Living here on Earth, there was never really any need to use them, much less to this extent. I figured that once I graduated from High School, or maybe even college, I could travel the universe. See all it has to offer, and test how far my powers would go. And I could always come back to Earth if I wanted to!"

Rafael silently nodded while Marco began to continue.

"But then, Star comes along in our lives, like a wild and energetic bolt of lightning, and just like that, I'm stepping into a whole new world. I'm getting to experience all the wonders, excitement, and horrors of the universe sooner than I ever thought possible. And I love it! I can already defend myself without relying on my powers so that I can enjoy myself—most of the time. But ever since the Mewberty thing, I haven't been able to get what Glossaryck said about putting myself in a dangerous position out of my head? What if I'm eventually forced to use my powers in public?"

Marco then turned to look at his father. "Dad, I know that in the past, horrible people wanted to use the Celestials for their power. It's why you and the others went into hiding. What if others try and do the same to me? What if they try to hurt those I care about to get to me? What if they try and hurt Star and I can't keep her safe. She may think she needs to protect me, but it could be the other way around!"

At this, Rafael stood up and placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "Marco, these are all things that you will need to be concerned about one day. From the moment you were born, I knew that I was risking letting the universe know the Celestials still existed. And I was fully prepared to deal with that? And do you know why?"

"Why, dad?"

"Because I knew that you could handle it. You're a strong young man with a sharp mind, a good heart, and that you would never let anyone take advantage of your powers for their own ends. But above all, I saw that you had the potential to do so much good for the universe; and I still think that. If you decide to reveal who you are to the cosmos, then I will support you."

"But what about Star? What if I tell her about who I am, and she wants nothing to do with me?"

Rafael chuckled softly at this. "Marco, how well do you know Star?"

"Probably better than anyone I've ever met."

"Does she seem like the kind of person who would turn her back on someone because of something like this?"

"No. Yeah, she would never do that!"

"Exactly. I'm not sure if I ever told you this, mijo, but I went through the exact same dilemma when I fell in love with your mother."

"You did?"

"Oh, yes. For all my cosmic power, I was terrified that this simple, compassionate, beautiful Earth woman would think I'm a monster. But when I finally told her, she said that it changed nothing. That I was still the man, she fell in love with."

"Why are you telling me this, Dad?"

"Because if Star is anything like I think she is, and how much you mean to her, then I know she'll accept you, as well."

It took Marco a few moments to understand what his dad was implying. Then his face began to turn so red that it almost matched his sombrero.

"D-DAD! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! SHE'S JUST MY BEST FRIEND, NOTHING MORE!!!"

At this, Rafael began to laugh. "Of course she is, son!" This only made Marco blush even more, which he didn't think was possible.

"All right, son, I'll get out of your hair. If you need me, I'll be making myself some tortas in the kitchen."

Marco, finally relaxed his face and smiled. "Okay, dad. Thanks for listening to me."

"That's what dads are here for, Marco." Rafael then began to whistle to himself as he left Star's room, leaving Marco along with his music.

_You know, I don't know what I so worried about. Dad's right: if Star really is my best friend, then I shouldn't worry about telling her the truth_. Newfound confidence began to course through him as he set back in his chair.

"All right, Marco Ubaldo Diaz! I'll tell Star everything as soon as she gets back from the Blood Moon Ball! Besides, what's the worst that could happen to her there?"

**Blood Moon Tonight **

_What was that?_ Marco could have sworn he heard someone else talking in the room right now. His dad was long gone, and only Marco was in the room, along with a portrait of an old sea captain.

_You just hear things, Marco. Star can take care of herself._

**The Moon of Lovers**

It was the same gravelly voice from before, leading Marco even more confused. He looked at the portrait of the sea captain, which he swore was looking back at him.

No matter how much he wanted to deny, Marco couldn't shake the bad feeling he had just now about the Blood Moon Ball. Without even thinking, his eyes rested on the little black bell and hammer that Star had left behind. He wanted to trust Star, but there was something about tonight that left him uneasy.

"I'm already on thin ice with Star. If I do this, she may never trust me again!" Dozens of images began to flash through Marco's head of possible outcomes for tonight. Most of them didn't end well for his friendship with Star. One, though, wasn't even of what may happen. It was of Star while in Mewberty when he had her restrained. She managed to get one word out of her mouth:

_Marco_

In that one moment, it felt like she was genuinely asking her best friend for help. Suddenly, any other outcomes became irrelevant to him.

Marco made his decision.

* * *

_Okay, maybe coming here was a mistake, after all. _

It's not that the Blood Moon Ball was some horrifying occultist event. Quite the opposite, it was more like one of those high school dances she had seen on some shows she watched with Marco. It's just that, considering that this was the Underworld, the whole thing seemed... kind of boring.

Indeed, Tom's efforts to sanitize the dance to win back his ex had taken most of the fun out of the event for everyone else. When they were out of earshot of Tom, people were grumbling about how lame the ball had become. Right now, though, she and Tom were in line for some sort of picture taking thing. There was a demon covered in a red cloak taking a photo of a young couple in front of them.

"Keep your eye on the birdie."

The two demons posed before proceeding to get dumped with blood from above as the camera took the photo.

"Beautiful. Next, please."

"Star, I can't tell you how happy I am to be covered in blood with you."

Star, who wasn't paying attention until then, suddenly perked up. Wait. What?

"Don't worry, though; it's not real. It's from a unicorn."

"Tom, my best friend, is a floating unicorn head."

"So? They're not related," Tom said, failing to understand the problem she had.

"Tom, I'm not getting covered in unicorn blood."

Tom then got in close and began to whisper to her "I figured you'd say that. So I swapped it out for fake blood when no one was looking."

"Yeah, still don't want to spend the rest of the night covered in fake blood."

"Fine," Tom said, trying his best to suppress a groan as he reached behind his back. Star couldn't help but look back out of curiosity and saw Brian standing there with Tom's bunny in his hands so that Tom could pet him.

"Wait, Tom. You're not getting angry, are you?"

"What? No, no, no, no! What would make you think that?" Tom hastily said, trying to deny it as he pet his bunny even harder.

Star picked up on the fact that her host was in denial, and decided that it was best to give him some space.

"Well, Tom, how about you, do you. I'm going to get some punch," the princess said before making her way over to the punch bowl.

Star didn't know how long she was by the bowl, and truth be told, she didn't really need a drink. She just wanted some space to herself. Now here she was, standing next to a steaming punch bowl, watching a skeletal fish swim around in it.

"Hello again, Henry!" Star said to the fish, even if that made nearby demons give her weird looks. "His name is Henry," she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Speaking of looks, Star couldn't help but notice that a lot of the party-goers were giving her glares ever since she arrived. It couldn't be because she was Mewman. Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that they did not want her there.

At that moment, a tall, bald man in a business suit came over to the punch bowl.

"Well, now, I take that you must be Tom's date, huh?"

"Um, yes. And you are?"

"Someone who got talked into attending by his family when he clearly should be at his friend's house playing Mortal Kombat."

"Mortal..."

"It's a top-rated video game series. Look it up when you get home."

Star made a mental note to use Marco's laptop to look that up when she got home.

"Well, as expected, this legendary dance has become a total snooze fest. And I bet that all the looks your getting from the party-goers must not be helping, huh?"

"Well, I mean, I wouldn't say it's boring, just not what I expected."

"Trust me, Princess. This may be the most boring Blood Moon Ball in the history of the Underworld!" A new voice suddenly said, causing Star and the other guest to turn around. Two demons, one with bat wings on his back and the other short and stubby with horns on his head, were glaring at Star.

"Look at this! A punch bowl that doesn't melt your flesh off? Boring! Pieces of garbage that don't try and eat you? Snoresville! And all the party-goers are way too attractive!" The shorter one said in what was pretty much a rant. Finally, the little demon held his hands to his temples and started screaming before running off. "AHHH, I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

Star could only stand and ask herself, Um, what just happened?

After a beat or two, Star finally decided to ask since no one else would: "Hey, should someone go make sure he's okay?"

"Don't worry, I got this, people." The bald man said. "I majored in child psychology in college, and teens aren't that far off." The man then calmed walked after the stubby demon, leaving Star alone with the bat-winged one.

He seemed nice. Star had to admit that she felt a little guilty, though, since she seemed to be the reason why Tom made the party look so dull.

"So, you want to dance?" The bat demon asked her, holding out his hand, which helped Star feel more comfortable being there.

As if on cue, Tom floated down using his firepowers and put his hand up to keep the demon away from his date.

"Sorry, pal, but her dance card's full tonight."

"Oh, I get it. I bet you think that, like, your soul and her soul will get chosen and will go mmmmm!" To emphasize the last part, the demon slid his fingers together while giving a knowing smile.

"What exactly is Mmmmm?" Star said while copying the demon's actions.

"Uh, it's a surprise, Star," Tom said. And if he wasn't lying about it either. He was hoping to salvage this night with the celestial event that inspired the Ball in the first place.

At that moment, everyone's attention was then directed to the sound of a finger tapping a microphone, courtesy of a demon in a black robe standing on a podium near the entrance to the ballroom. Now that everyone was focused on the podium, the demon, who appeared to be the organizer of the Ball, began to speak.

"If I may have your attention, please? It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to the Blood Moon Ball. Now I request that you all direct your attention skyward." Above, a giant hand moved on top of the ceiling, revealing a crescent-shaped hole in the middle of the roof. At once, blood-red light from the Moon above began to flood the room.

"When the light of the Blood Moon drubbles down and picks two lucky souls, binding them together for eternity in its hypnotic, ruby brodum."

_Wow, that actually sounds pretty...romantic_ , Star thought to herself . And Tom's actually keeping himself under control. _Maybe this night won't be a disaster, after all. _

As the light of the red moon began to creep closer to the ballroom, the music coming from the organ started to change, telling everyone present to grab their dance partner and start dancing, with everyone silently hoping that they would be picked.

Tom, though, couldn't see the romantic atmosphere, as he was too caught up on the fact that that wasn't the right music!

"That's not the right music. Alright, Star, I'll be right back, so don't go anywhere." Tom then ran off to the organ.

"Yeah, sure, Tom." Truth be told, Star wasn't listening anymore. She was too caught up in the red moonlight that seemed to be compelling her to go somewhere.

Unknown to either teen, another familiar face had used the opportunity to enter the ballroom undetected.

* * *

After thinking it over, Marco had decided that he was going to have to take a risk: he rang the bell and rode the carriage all the way to the Underworld. The ride was a few minutes, so it gave him some time to think about some things. Chief among them, how he was going to apologize to Star for what he was doing and for earlier!

_I'm sorry, Star. For lying to you about Mewberty, for keeping secrets from you, and for following you to this dance. But you were right: if we really are best friends, then we shouldn't keep secrets from each other, and we should always have each other's backs._

"Thanks for the advice, Dad," Marco said to himself as he buttoned up his tuxedo, making sure that no one could see the cracks on his arm. As an added precaution to help him blend in, Marco decided to use a small portion of his powers to conjure up a disguise. Within a moment, he was now wearing a mustachioed Dia de Los Muertos mask on his face. Perfect.

The pain in his arm began to return, but Marco was determined to see this thru to the end. With that, he got out of the carriage and made his way to the ballroom.

Marco had suspected that Tom would post guards to keep him out, but he already had a plan to deal with them. _Sorry, Dad, but I'm going to have to use some more of my powers tonight._

Marco had been practicing with his Celestial powers and shapeshifting a lot since the Monster Arm incident. While he could already transform parts of his body into animal limbs, he found that with enough concentration, he could take it even further. He could have his body mimic the traits of individual animals. In this case, he wanted two things: first, he had the hairs on his body secrete an adhesive that would allow him to stick to any surface, like Spider-Man. Second, he changed his skin to reflect light, allowing him to become near invisible. The transformation hurt his body, but it was too late to back out.

Marco jumped as high as he could until he stuck to the wall and crawled on the ceiling until he was right in front of the entrance. All he needed was a second to get inside. Sure enough, the tapping of a microphone inside drew everyone's attention, including the guards.

_Now's my chance!_ And with that, Marco moved as fast as he could, making it inside the ballroom before finding a secluded spot to turn his powers off. Unfortunately, the pain from using them seemed much more significant than Marco anticipated.

_I don't think I'll be able to use my powers for the rest of the night. I just need to find Star. She'll be able to get us out of here_. Marco scanned the crowd, not listening to what the demon on the podium was saying. After a few seconds, Marco found who he was looking for: Star. She was just wandering around by herself as other people began to dance.

"Star!" Marco said, trying not to attract attention as he worked his way towards her, ignoring the looks others were giving him.

Star had no idea how long it had been since Tom had left her side, but she was never the kind to wait around for anything. So she began wandering the ballroom as couples began to dance, still unsure what the purpose of this whole thing was.

"Star! Star!" Star kept getting confused, as she swore that she heard someone calling out her name. Okay, maybe this weird moon magic is calling out to me or something, she thought as the voice kept getting closer. Suddenly, she felt a hand pull on hers, making her turn around to see a masked stranger in a black tuxedo having pulled her uncomfortably close. For a split second, Star had half a mind to Narwhal Blast this creep. She never got the chance, though. Suddenly, the crimson lights enveloping the ballroom turned a deep blood red. Everyone present began to gasp, as the red glow of the Blood Moon had centered on one spot: the spot where Star and this stranger were standing.

Before anyone could say anything, a new song began to play: a lighter and statelier song.

**Begin playing Blood Moon Waltz: /watch?v=gCFCDFq3Wss**

As if by instinct, the masked stranger pulled Star even closer and began to dance with her. If it were at any other time, Star would have slapped the guy for this. Yet she was too lost, too hypnotized by the music and the beautiful moonlight overhead. Which neither realized seemed to follow them with every move they made as they danced across the ballroom floor.

And man, could this stranger dance! Star would know: her mother had made her attend enough balls on Mewni to understand what it meant to be a good dancer. Yet this man before her seemed to outshine everyone she had ever danced with. Every movement he made, every step, every twirl, every swerve was entirely in sync with hers! Star was utterly captivated by this mystery guest before her. For a moment, she almost forgot to breathe, she was so entranced.

The effect was not only on the Princess. All of the guests were in awe of this grand, indescribably beautiful dance. For a moment, the fact that the Ball itself was lame was forgotten. It was all worth it to see this magical, historic moment with their own eyes. Some guests even began to take out their UPhones and cameras and recorded it for posterity's sake, though no video could capture the majesty of the Blood Moon Waltz.

As the dance continued, Star got a tiny glimpse of her partner. His mask reminded her of one of the Dia De Los Muertos masks she had seen in the Diaz house, obscuring his face. Underneath, she could make out two chocolate brown eyes that she felt like she could stare at for all eternity.

"Star." Star? Oh, right, that's my name. Star was so on cloud nine that it was a miracle she remembered her name. All she could think about was, "Who is this handsome stranger? Why does his voice sound so familiar, and when's the legal age I can get married?"

At last, Star's brain worked enough to get her to respond. "H-how did you know my name?" She managed to get out, never losing the dreamy smile on her face.

At that, the stranger lifted his mask, allowing Star, for the first time, to see the face of the person who had swept her off her feet:

"It's me, Marco!" the stranger whispered. Sure enough, it was Marco Diaz, her best friend, and the person that she had told not to come.

_Oh, no_. And with that, Star snapped out of her lovestruck daze, yet she didn't stop dancing. "Marco?!? What are you doing here, Marco? I thought I told you not to come." She whispered as their dance continued.

"You did, and I'm sorry, but I had a horrible feeling about this, and I couldn't let you handle this alone. And I wanted to say sorry for lying to you about Mewberty. Not the best timing, it seems."

"I told you I could handle this. You can't if Tom finds you."

"You're wrong about that, Star. I'm far more capable than you give me credit. Now let's get out of here, and I'll explain everything to you. This place is the worst."

Sadly, the dance of the Blood Moon came to a sudden and abrupt end, as Marco found himself violently shoved away from Star, causing him to fall to the floor, making his arm hurt even more. When he looked up, he saw a very, very, very livid Tom.

**End Music**

_Oh, crud_, Marco thought.

At that moment, the crimson light of the Blood Moon began to dissipate from the spot where they were just standing. The room briefly went dark before returning to normal. The Blood Moon dance had come to an end. And Tom was not happy about that.

For a moment, Tom just stood there, trying to process what had happened. His best chance to win Star back had just been ruined by the same, worthless human from before.

Who does this little nobody think he is? Trying to take what's mine? Getting in the way of my happiness? With every millisecond, Tom's rage began to boil over, until finally, his eyes began to glow with a murderous red.

"Oh, no," was all Star could say

Marco could barely process what was going on. One minute he was holding Star's hand. The next thing he knew, he was leading her in a moonlit dance across the ballroom floor, all while trying to ignore the pain in his arm. Which, for some reason, now seemed to spread to his shoulders. Now he was facing down Star's demonic ex, who was not happy to see him crashing the Ball.

"That dance, WAS MEANT, FOR ME!!" With that, Tom rose into the air on a pillar of flames shooting out of his hands and feet. "YOU'RE DEAD, YOU LITTLE PUNK!!"

With that angry declaration, Tom began to hurtle fireballs at the boy. Fortunately, despite having to refrain from using his powers any further, his Celestial nervous system and reflexes let him dodge the fiery blasts in time. When Marco looked at where he was a moment ago, there was a scorched crater.

_Oh, man. This guy's really trying to kill me!_ And for the first time in a while, Marco was actually worried that he might die.

"JUST WHO IN THE NINE CIRCLES OF THE UNDERWORLD DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??" The demon prince roared as he threw blast after fiery blast at Marco, causing him and the guests to duck for cover.

Star, however, was following the two boys around the ballroom, trying desperately to keep her angry ex from killing her best friend. _This is why I didn't want Marco here! He can't fight Tom on his own!_

"TOM, STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!" She yelled, hoping that her ex would listen to her.

"STAY OUT OF THIS STAR!" Tom yelled at her. "I WORKED SO HARD TO MAKE SURE THIS DANCE WOULD BE PERFECT FOR US, ONLY TO HAVE IT RUINED BY THIS LITTLE NOBODY!!!"

"THAT NOBODY IS MY BEST FRIEND, TOM!"

At this point, Marco was exhausted, not just from the heat of the fireballs, he was narrowly dodging, but because the pain had only gotten worse. As he looked up, he saw the angry demon standing over him as he grabbed him by the collar and hauled him to his feet. His eyes were no longer glowing, but they still had all the fury of before.

"Well, Star, your best friend should have known better than to MESS WITH ME!!" With that, Tom threw Marco as hard as he could, causing him to hit the nearby wall with a dull *thud*

"MARCO!!"

Marco could barely make out Star's screams as he felt his mask fall off. He was now in more pain than he had ever felt. It felt like his body was on fire. And once again, Marco looked up to see Tom standing over him, filled with rage.

"GET UP. SO I CAN FINISH THIS!!"

_This can't be how I die! I wanted to do so many amazing things in life! I-I wanted to see how far I could push my powers. Instead, I may end up dying here and now, and all because I was too stubborn to let Star handle things on her own._

At that moment, though, something happened inside of Marco. It was like someone had suddenly turned on a light inside of him. In the corner of his mind, a familiar sphere of light briefly dimmed, before flaring to life with the intensity of a star. It felt like Marco's body was being torn apart and put back together from the inside out. Yet Marco somehow knew that he would not die. Instead, he never felt more alive, more powerful than ever. And all he wanted to do was direct it at the jerk in front of him!

**Begin Playing Music: A Moment of Shuddering /watch?v=bKNHCOjQjAQ**

As everyone in the ballroom watched, Marco's eyes began to glow white-hot. Glowing cracks seemed to erupt from his hands and face. And to make things even stranger, the boy suddenly seemed to be floating in the air! Everyone was taken aback by this harrowing transformation. None were more shocked, though than Tom or Star. Tom could only take a step back, fearful of what he was now witnessing. Star, though, was looking like her entire world was falling apart. Her mind was racing a thousand miles a minute, trying to figure out one thing:

_What's happening to my best friend?!?!?!_

Before Tom could collect himself, the now glowing Marco looked down at him, before shouting three words:

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!"

Suddenly, a giant fist seemed to form out of the wall, sending Tom flying back until he hit a pillar, causing him to fall to the ground.

Marco was on him in seconds, following his first strike with an uppercut that almost sent the stunned demon into the roof of the ballroom.

As Tom struggled to get his bearings, a dozen guards began to stand in front of him. "PROTECT HIS HIGHNESS FROM THE INTRUDER!"

Unfortunately for them, Marco was in no mood to deal with them. With a wave of his hands, he dealt with each guard. Half of them he restrained using their own weapons, twisting the spears around their arms and legs so that they couldn't move. Another three, he morphed their armor into shackles, binding them to the floor. For the last three, he simply turned the floor they were standing on into quicksand before dragging the lower half of their bodies before hardening the floor again leaving them stuck there.

As Tom finally regained his composure, he launched a massive fireball at Marco, who didn't even bother to dodge it. Instead, he simply held his hand out, and right as the blast of heat hit him, it turned into confetti.

Tom's rage began to hit a breaking point. Now livid that this nobody was able to stand up to him, he flew into the air, shouting one thing:

"JUST WHAT ARE YOU?!?"

**End Music**

Before Tom could even get off another attack, though, he was suddenly encased in a block of ice, courtesy of Marco.

"I'm Marco Diaz." the teenager confidently said, relishing in being able to put the demon in his place. Before he could begin to revel in his new level of power, though, he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"M-Marco?" Marco turned around and what he saw was one of the most painful things he had ever seen in his life. There, standing before her with a face that seemed to be a mixture of horror, fear, and worry, was his best friend in the universe, Star Butterfly, on the verge of tears.

As he looked into her eyes, he could see everything that she thought of him at that moment; and none of it was good. She was Star Butterfly, the fearless Princess of Mewni who battled monsters for fun and tamed wild unicorns. Yet she was now terrified at the sight of what Marco had become.

_W-what am I doing?? I didn't want Star to find out like this!_

The sight of Star, and the realization of what he was doing, made Marco lose the adrenaline rush that he was going through. His eyes stopped glowing as he slowly returned to the ground. Once the power had left him, though, he felt his body begin to sway, and his vision grew dim. All he had time to say was one name: "S-Star" before consciousness fled him altogether.

Star ran over to catch Marco in her arms, any fear over what she had witnessed eclipsed by the concern she had for her best friend. She had so many questions going through at that moment: What had Marco done? What was that he turned into? But above all, she wanted to know if he was going to be alright. To her relief, he was still breathing.

Oh, thank corn. Star then grabbed the unconscious Marco and hauled him his feet as she left the ballroom. Though not before using her wand on the frozen Tom to change his "Anger-free for fifty-three days" pin to a "0".

"Come on, Diaz. I'm taking you home."

As Star walked to the elevator, everyone left was trying to process what had just happened. Brian, who had been hiding under a table after realizing he could not snap Tom out of his anger, peeked out to see if everything was all right. The silence was then broken by the tall, bald man from before, who held up his phone after recording the whole thing:

"This is going on my Instagram."

* * *

Mr. Diaz was sitting downstairs in front of the TV watching telenovelas when he heard Star return. He had suspected that Marco would follow her to this dance, so he decided to wait up for them and help Marco explain anything he most likely told Star.

What he didn't expect, though, was to see Star carrying an unconscious, bruised, and possibly bleeding Marco by the arms. Nor was he expecting the severe look on her face. Rafael already knew what it meant, though. Star had found in potentially the worst possible way. As he got up to help his son, Rafael only said one thing to Star.

"We need to talk."

* * *

Celestial Journal

Awakening- an important event in a celestials life. This can be compared to Star's mewberty where a celestial also goes through some form of transformation where they start growing cracks on their bodies. Once over they gain access to their latent power which was previously unavailable to them.

* * *

**Chapter notes:**

**RJWritingInk's messages will be written like this**

**While Rothem's messages is written like this.**

**And there you have it, folks! My version of the Blood Moon Ball! I certainly hoped that you enjoyed it. Put together; this would have been the longest chapter in the story with more than 13,000 words! Which is why I had to split it up in the end, so you guys could enjoy it as much as possible.**

**At any rate, I knew that ROTHEM wanted to have Star learn about Marco's powers eventually, and we both agreed that the Blood Moon Ball would be the best time to reveal them. It's one of the pivotal moments in Starco and in the show as a whole, so I wanted to make sure it was perfect.**

**Special thanks go to 616MCU and Blackwolfwrites, whose own chapters about the Blood Moon Ball helped give me the inspiration to write this. And for those who are fans of Team Four Star or Dragon Ball Z, you should know who the guy in the suit was. I thought it would be funny to include him since he's hilarious, and we will quote everything he says. Along with the reference to a certain adorable spider on ****YouTube**

**Anyway****, I'm going to turn this over to ROTHEM now so he can say a few words. Ciao, everyone! Make sure to wash your hands and stay safe from COVID-19!**

**Hey guy's so Blood Moon Ball is not yet over since there is still one more chapter before it's conclusion which is titled Revelations instead of Blood moon ball part 3.**

**Anyways as usual thank you for reading this story of mine as well as following and favoriting(i dunno if this is a word). Feel free to review and critic as they are always appreciated.**

**By the way when I posted the revised version of my earlier chapter(specifically Star comes to earth part1) I realized that I forgot to add the new author's note for it which contains some of my plans for the story.**

**So anyway this story of mine will be based on season 1,2,3, and 4 of the show albeit diverging more as we progress into the story. However important events like toffee and meteora will not be removed(or altered too much) as they are important even though I have a new villain along with a few OC's for this story of mine.**

**Also, chapters that are based on episodes that are supposed to happen before Mewberty and Blood moon ball have not been removed they were just rearranged to fit what I have planned for them.**

**Review Responses!**

**HayamiHinata - hope this chapter was as awesome as you were hoping for.**

**Starco4everr- thank you for your continued support.**

**OMAC001- looks like star now got half the picture(lol)**

**Masked Freak- yeah I also enjoy stories like those as well.**

**Anyway, see you guys next time in Revelations.** **Keep safe from the virus by the way.**


	15. Revelations

**Hey everyone this is Rothem back with the conclusion to the blood moon ball arc, Revelations! To quote what my good friend RJWritingInk said. "The Penny finally drops" anyway hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**???????????**

_Where... where am I?_

Marco Diaz was floating within an empty blackness, devoid of anything. At least, that's what it felt like. For some reason, he couldn't open his eyes to look around. Or, maybe he did and just saw the same darkness. To make matters worse, he couldn't even move his body. So, he just floated through the night, seemingly without any direction.

That, and he had a hard time remembering how the heck he got wherever he was. So, that wasn't helping.

Marco knew that he was asleep; he was sure of that. But when he tried to recall the 'how' or the 'why,' his head hurt.

_Is this my life now? Just floating through the abyss with no idea how to wake up?_

Fortunately, Marco did not have to wait for very long. He felt a glare reach the periphery of his vision (at least he knew he could open his eyes now). When he tried willing himself to move, he felt his body begin to respond. As he turned around, he saw something below him. A light, a bright light, and he was heading right for it.

_Please don't let this be what I think it is,_ Marco thought as he entered the light.

* * *

When Marco could open his eyes again, he saw that he was standing in front of his house.

_Okay, now I'm back home. Seriously, what's going on? And since when has everything looked so...gray?_

Everything around Marco was, in fact, gray. The sidewalk, the clouds, everything! He'd say it was like being in an old black-and-white cartoon, but even those had more shades of color. Or at least more on the grayscale.

While he didn't notice it, due to his hazy memory, there was something important to his house that was missing: Star's Tower, jutting out of the side.

"Okay, so am I awake now, or am I still dreaming?" Marco asked out loud. Though, truthfully, he had no clue how to tell if he was dreaming.

_If I've read enough stories, then the best way to know I'm dreaming is to think of something too crazy to be real. Like some giant floating baby head appears in the door to the kitchen. And a talking zebra._

As soon as he finished thinking of that, he saw a giant floating baby head come out through the front door of his house, cooing and babbling and uttering baby noises before heading out towards the street. Then came a zebra wearing a top hat and carrying a cup of tea.

"Oh yeah, I'm dreaming, all right." Marco could only say with a deadpan expression on his face

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Kevin," said the zebra as it went back into the house while sipping its tea.

"Hey, wait! What do you mean by that?!" Marco called out to the zebra, who ignored him as it entered the house again, causing Marco to sigh in annoyance.

_Well, if I am dreaming and I know I'm dreaming, then I guess the only way to wake up is to start looking around_, Marco thought, remembering a bunch of cartoons he watched with similar scenarios.

"Whoever said there's no value in cartoons had no idea what they were talking about," he turned the knob on the front door to his house.

_This shouldn't be so bad_, Marco thought before entering the house. Unknown to him, a mysterious cloaked figure was watching him from the shadows across the street. As soon as the door opened and the boy walked inside, the figure vanished.

* * *

Real World, Diaz Household

Star was watching worriedly, sitting on a chair in Marco's room as Rafael placed his son on his bed before tending to his injuries. For a moment, Star felt envious of the sight in front of her. Of how loving and understanding Mr. Diaz was towards his son.

_Marco has no idea how lucky he is to have a father that cares about him so much. Meanwhile, my Mom is always all work, no play._ Whenever Star had wanted to do something fun with her Mom, she had been told that she had to look after Mewni, that the people were her first responsibility. She got used to it, but on the inside, it still hurt.

However, Star's mind kept going back to what happened at the Blood Moon Ball. After doing her best to forget about handsome Marco had looked dancing with her (which wasn't easy), she kept thinking about what she had seen. One moment, her bestie was at the mercy of her angry, jealous ex-boyfriend; next minute, he was being tossed around like a ragdoll. She knew Marco was a good fighter, but being able to best the Prince of the Underworld and his family's Royal Guards, said to be some of the best soldiers in Mewni? No human should have been able to do that!

Then there was unimaginable power she had seen Marco use. She was Star Butterfly, a born spellcaster and wielder of one of the most powerful objects in the universe. Yet in that one moment, it felt like any spell she could come up paled in comparison to what Marco had done.

Star's already hyper mind was now running on overdrive. A million different thoughts and questions seemed to run through her brain.

_How was Marco able to do that?_

_What even was that?_

_Why did he follow me?_

_What did he mean by explaining everything?_

_Did Marco lie about Mewberty?_

_What else has he not been telling me?_

_Am I really his best friend?_

The thoughts seemed to come like a tidal wave, all at once and in enough quantity that she shouldn't have been able to keep track of them, yet she also could. But the one thought that stood out was also the one that she dreaded the most:

_Is Marco really human?_

Star had only been on Earth for a short amount of time, and a lot still confused her about humans and Earth. However, she knew enough to know that the rest of the universe didn't see humans as strong. And they shouldn't be able to do what Marco did! The only humans she had seen do that were in those superhero movies Marco had shown her. And despite her insisting otherwise, Marco told her that everything she saw them do was just special effects.

As Star kept trying to come up with an idea as to how Marco could do what he did, she found her thoughts interrupted as Rafael finished tending to the boy's injuries, and the elder Diaz began to pull a chair up next to his son's bed and sat next to Star.

"Don't worry, Star. Marco will be alright," Rafael said reassuringly; however, Star didn't take her eyes off of the unconscious boy, noting the cracks on his body. Mr. Diaz had been able to treat the injuries his son had sustained from Tom, but the cracks not only remained, they spread across his body. They crisscrossed everywhere, before finally meeting upon his forehead, creating a jagged X. Thankfully, though, they had stopped glowing.

After a few moments of silence, Star finally looked up at Mr. Diaz, her eyes almost on the verge of tears. "Mr. Diaz, what's going on with Marco? Is he going to be alright?" she managed to get out.

Rafael saw the look in Star's eyes: the fear, the confusion, the concern, and the sadness. He knew that look all too well. Many years ago, someone very special to him, someone who was no longer with them, had given him the same look.

Seeing this, Rafael knew what he had to do to alleviate her worries. However, he hesitated. He knew that Marco should be the one to tell her this, and if he was awake, he would likely be doing so right now. The look on Star's face, though, made him realize that was not something that could wait. If his son meant as much to her as he thought he did, then she deserved to know the truth.

Taking a deep breath as he prepared himself for what was to come, Rafael looked at Star, putting on his most reassuring face. "Star, I can explain everything, but first, I need to know what happened? Is that okay with you?"

Star simply nodded before telling him everything that happened that led to tonight's incident. She explained how her ex-boyfriend with anger issues had shown up at school and invited her to the Blood Moon Ball and that Marco thought that that was a bad idea. That Marco had tried to talk her out of going, and she went over his protests. Though not before getting into an argument after learning about an injury she thought she gave him during Mewberty. She then told Rafael how Marco still followed her into the Underworld despite the danger. This got a small chuckle out of Mr. Diaz, who said that it was just like his son to do something like that even when his friend didn't want him to. Star could only laugh, though more out of sadness, before continuing.

When Star got to the part where she and Marco had danced under the Blood Moon, she had done her best to hide the embarrassment on her face. She still couldn't get over how graceful his dancing was, or how handsome he looked in his mask and tuxedo. When she explained how Tom had violently attacked Marco, she swore that she could feel a cold and murderous aura coming from Rafael, despite the smile on his face. For a moment, Star began to instinctively reach for her Wand in her purse, only to stop when she felt him give off the same warm and kindhearted feeling she got from him. Just like Marco, she thought.

Then she finally explained how Marco had gone "all glowy" as she put it, and proceeded to wipe the floor with Tom and his Royal Guards, as she could only look on. She still remembered what she felt: awe at the fact that her friend seemed to make her best spells like child's play, confusion as to how he did it. And, to her shame, fear at the sight of what her best friend was doing.

"...then after that, I just grabbed Marco and got back here as fast as I could," Star said, finally finishing her tale as Rafael listened quietly, his face now unreadable to the young Princess.

The silence that followed caused Star to fidget in her seat uncomfortably and look at her legs. She didn't know how to react to the tense silence or the look that Marco's father had on his face. It was reminding her a little too much of a scolding from her Mom.

After a few more seconds of uncomfortable silence, Star heard Mr. Diaz sigh. It wasn't out of annoyance, though. Instead, it seemed to be out of relief, something she never seemed to get from her Mom. Finally, Mr. Diaz spoke up.

"Star, has Marco told you any secret of his lately?" Rafael said, causing Star to look at him, confused as to what he meant.

"Secret?" Star said before getting a thoughtful look on her face. After a few seconds, she remembered what Marco had told her while they were dancing.

_I'm far more capable than you give me credit for. Now let's get out of here, and I'll explain everything._

"Well, Marco said something about explaining everything to me though I don't know what he meant by that," Star said until she got a look of realization on her face. "*Gasp* did that have something to do with what happened to Marco!"

Rafael nodded before speaking, "Yes, Star." He then went silent again, looking down at his hands before looking back at her. "Star, I can tell you what's wrong with Marco and why he was able to do what he did. But I want you to understand something."

"And that is?"

"Star, what I'm about to say is something that Marco's kept secret all his life. And I have kept it for far longer than you could imagine. A secret that no one else must know about. If the truth about my son became public, some people would stop at nothing to get their hands on him."

"You mean like my Wand? But why, though?"

"I will explain, but first, I need to know. Do you, Star Butterfly, Princess of the Kingdom of Mewni, swear on all you hold dear that you won't tell anyone what I am about to say?" Rafael knew that he could trust Star. He had known her long enough to know she was trustworthy, and the way his son spoke of her only reinforced that. Still, he had to ask.

Star simply nodded her head. She had come too far to back out now.

"Good. And there's a reason why I'm making you promise, and why I want to keep this secret. Star, the reason why Marco can do what he was able to do what he did in the Underworld is that he's not like most people on Earth.

"Why, though?"

"Because you see, Star, Marco is not entirely...human."

The moment those words left Rafael's mouth, Star's expression went completely blank, as though she was unable to process what she had just heard.

If you could look inside Star's mind, you could see it practically going into meltdown, trying to process what she just heard. _Marco isn't human? What does that even mean? I-if he's not human, then what is he?!?_

"W-what do you mean by that?" Star asked with a tiny bit of nervousness in her tone that Rafael was able to pick up on.

"Before I answer that, Star, I need to know: what do you know about the term 'Celestial'?"

* * *

**???????(Back with Marco)**

_Okay, I take back what I said from earlier,_ Marco thought as he takes in the scene in front of him.

When Marco entered his house, he was expecting to be met with the sight of the house living room in greyscale, as well. BIG MISTAKE.

The whole place looked like some weird, abstract painting or parallel universe. There were doors on nearly every surface, complete with stairs that seemed to go up, down, upside down, and even into nothingness. It looked like a Van Gogh painting, or an unused plot from Regular Show had thrown up in his house

"This has to be the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life," Marco said out loud as he explores the place. He decided to take a look at the kitchen first(which he somehow managed to locate, don't ask how). Surprisingly it was normal compared to the living room. However, the talking zebra from before was now sitting at the table reading a newspaper which said, ''Orange cat wins the election, vows to outlaw Mondays'.

"Um, excuse me, but do you know what this place is?" Marco asked politely. However, the zebra simply smiled at him, before going back to reading it's newspaper, causing Marco to groan in annoyance.

_Great, he's just like Glossaryck_, Marco thought thinking of the annoying blue man. As if on cue, Glossaryck appeared before him startling him in the process.

"Nope, nope, nope, I don't want to deal with you. So, go away," Marco said harshly. He was not in the mood for the little troll. Glossaryck simply gave a smug smile before saying, "Now that's just hurtful Marco," Glossaryck said in mock hurt before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Marco sighed in relief, seeing Glossaryk vanished. _I've only met the guy once, but it's already taking all my willpower to keep me from turning him into a pudding cup. Heck, maybe I should do that anyway,_ Marco thought as he went back to the living room.

Now, how do I wake up from this dream?

**"Not... a dream."** A voice appeared out of nowhere, seemingly able to respond to his thoughts.

Marco turned his head to look at the source of the voice. It was a figure in a black cloak covered in zippers, like the ones from the Kingdom Hearts series, standing on the stairs that he assumed would lead to the second floor of the house. Before he could say anything, the figure walked up the stairs prompting Marco to go after him. "Hey, wait!" Marco called out. However, the shadowy figure simply ignored him.

* * *

**Real World, Diaz House**

"Celestial?" Star said in a confused tone. She doesn't know why, but the word sounded familiar to her, important even. "I think I remember my Mom, or one of my teachers mention it in a lecture. But to honest, I don't pay attention to those things," Star laughed sheepishly.

Mr. Diaz chuckled at her answer. "I do not blame you if you don't know what that word means. Few people these days bother to learn about them, and fewer still even remember them."

"Them?"

"Yes, the Celestials. It is said that they are one of the oldest, if not the oldest, race of beings in the universe."

"Whoaaa," Star could only say as she processed everything.

"I know, right? Well, then, let me tell you their story." Rafael said, understanding that someone like Star would not be able to keep quiet during the whole story.

"It is said that when the universe first began, or at least not long after, the Celestials came into being in their home dimension. A place that is known only as 'the Forge.'"

"Why's that?", asked Star

"Because they were not born like most people in the universe are. They simply woke up one day. None of them knew how or why it happened. It just did, simple as that. As though they were forged into existence, hence the name of their home. Eventually, they stopped wondering how or why they existed and focused on the gifts they possessed."

"What did they possess, Mr. Diaz?"

"Power, Star. Power on a scale that few in the universe could rival. The first Celestials discovered that they channeled the primordial energy of creation through themselves. As a result, they could manipulate matter on the most basic of levels, allowing them to create whatever they wanted. All they had to do was merely think of something, and their thoughts could become manifest."

"That's insane! So were they, like, magic or something?"

"No, Star. While your magic allows you to create spells and other things, it's nothing like what the Celestials could use. Some believe that the Celestials predate the dawn of magic itself."

Star could only sit there, her mouth hanging open as she processed this. If this was true, then these beings were stronger than her. Stronger than her Mom. Stronger than even Glossaryck and the Magic High Commission!

Mr. Diaz continued his story. "Time passed, and every so often, a new Celestial would come into existence. Their brothers and sisters would welcome them and teach them how to use their powers. Together, they shaped the Forge to their desires. As they did not age due to their cosmic powers, they kept on creating for eons. Then one day, no more Celestials came into existence."

"Why's that, Mr. Diaz?" Star asked, now completely hooked on this story.

"No one knows for sure, Star. Yet it just happened. The Celestials were always few, barely reaching more than a hundred. And while they enjoyed their time together in the Forge, they began to feel lonely. Then, they began to wonder if there were others like them out there in the universe. This curiosity began to grow, until one day, one of them said that they were going to leave their home and see what the universe had to offer.

"The other Celestials soon agreed that they should seek out other life. They loved their home but felt that it had little left to offer them. So, they all agreed to leave the Forge behind and travel the universe to learn about its wonders and secrets. But not before deciding that they would return to the Forge every few centuries to trade stories and knowledge. And so, the Celestials left their dimension behind to see the universe and all it contained."

"Left their dimension? But how? I thought the only way to do that is through dimensional scissors," Star said.

"That's not the only way to travel between dimensions, Star. Thanks to their cosmic powers, the Celestials discovered a way to open tears in the fabric of reality, allowing them to travel to any dimension. I suspect that dimensional scissors may have based on this technique," Rafael said.

"Having left their home behind, the Celestials traveled the universe, some alone, others in groups. Eventually, they did find other life. However, they were dismayed to learn that while many of these beings looked like them, they didn't possess any of their power. These other beings were far weaker and seemed to grow and change as time passed before one day; they stopped moving. This was the first time the Celestials realized how unique they were in the universe, and the first time they learned about the concept of death."

"The Celestials were at a loss on what to do. Some wanted nothing to do with these other people, seeing them as beneath them. Others suggesting conquering them, make them do their bidding. Fortunately, the majority agreed that this was not what their powers were for. They realized that with their incredible powers, they could help these other beings to grow and advance. It took a while, but eventually, they all came around to this idea."

"Now armed with a new purpose in existence, the Celestials began to seek out other, less advanced people in the universe and helping them through different ways. Some used their powers to disguise themselves as beings native to the dimension, pretending to be prodigies among their people who would give them incredible new ideas and knowledge. Others chose to observe the budding people from afar, singling out those that they believed could help their civilizations progress and giving them hints or inspiration. Then some chose to just reveal themselves in all their power and help them with their problems."

"If they did all this in different ways, then how did people know they were the same beings? Celestials, I mean?"

"Well, Star, once the Magic High Commission came into being and gave everyone the ability to travel between dimensions, they began to swap stories and ideas. That's when they realized that these otherworldly beings of celestial origin had visited most of their worlds. So they began to refer to them 'the Celestials'. And the Celestials just went with it. Before long, the people of the universe started worshipping them as gods...with a small g, of course," Rafael chuckled as he said that last part.

"So, if these Celestials were as powerful as you say they were, then where are they? What happened to them?"

Mr. Diaz's smile seemed to a fade a little bit at this question, but it soon returned. "Well, Star, you know how some people wish to take your wand because of the power it could give them?"

"Well, duh, it's one of the most powerful artifacts in the universe. That's why Marco and I are fighting bad guys all the time," Star said, much to the man's amusement.

"Well, some people began to look at the Celestials in the same manner. They began to covet the seemingly infinite power of these godlike beings and tried to think of ways to take it for themselves. They tried to manipulate and deceive them into doing their bidding, while some became so desperate as to try and sire children with a Celestial."

"What!?" Star gasped. "Why would they do that?"

"Because they hoped that any child begot by a Celestial would inherit their abilities, and thus could be used as tools for their power and benefit."

"But that's so awful! How could people think of doing that?!?"

"As I said, they were desperate, Star. But fortunately, none of these attempts succeeded. However, the damage was already done, and the Celestials realized that there would always be those who try to use their powers for evil. Something had to be done, and at the next meeting at the Forge, an agreement was made."

"And what agreement was that?", Star could only ask, now deadset on learning the truth.

"It was decided that, for the greater good of the universe, the Celestials would go into hiding. They would cease openly assisting the universe's inhabitants and never let anyone witness their powers again. So it was done," Rafael said sadly before continuing.

"Some of the Celestials chose to return to the Forge and live there, spending their days creating as they had in the beginning. Others chose to disguise themselves as the people they had helped in the past, living amongst the civilizations they helped to build. It's thought that some went so far as to erase their memories and live their lives as mortals. As time passed, the Celestials faded away into myths and legends. Hence why most people who know of them don't believe they existed. As for those who knew they were real, none of them could learn what happened to them. Not even the Magic High Commission could do so."

"Wow. That is, that is a lot to take in," Star said as she threw her hands up to her head to make the "mind blown" gesture while slumping in her chair. Then she remembered what they were talking about in the first place.

"Wait. Mr. Diaz, what do the Celestials have to do with any of this. What do they have to do with Marco?" Star asked as she sat back up in her chair.

Rafael could only chuckle again at this question. "Oh, Star, it has everything to do with Marco. Just as it has to do with me, haven't you wondered how I could all this in the first place?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, how do you know all this? There's no way Glossaryck could know this stuff, and the only way you could know it is if you...were...there.", Star said, the last few words coming out of her mouth slowly as the gears in her head began to turn again.

"Mr. Diaz, are you telling me that you're..

"Yes, Star. I am a Celestial."

* * *

**??????(Back with Marco)**

As soon as Marco ascended the stairs, the shadowy figure from before disappeared, and like the living room downstairs, the second floor was just as weird. There were doors as far as the boy could see, constantly opening and closing. And for some reason, a floating cat was hanging right above him.

Marco decided that he had to take a risk and approached one of the doors. Hopefully, one of these will give me a way to wake up from this trippy dream. As soon as he opened the door, though, he was taken aback with he saw. It was him, or more specifically, his younger self when he was around six or so. He was standing in a classroom with a very noticeable blush on his face as he tried to talk to a younger Jackie Lynn Thomas.

_That was ..when I finally started talking to Jackie. It took me weeks to finally work up the nerve to do so. I even came close to throwing up when I tried to do it._ That was not a very pleasant experience for him, but in hindsight, it led to a lot of better memories and his friendship with Jackie. _Memories...wait, is that what I'm looking at right now? A memory?_ Marco thought as he closed the door.

Marco then proceeded to try the next several doors, only to be met with similar outcomes. They all revealed memories of his life thus far. From the first time he met Janna, hanging out with his friends, and several others. After he had closed what he thought was the seventh door, he noticed that there was a mirror hanging next to the doorway. When he decided to take a look at himself, though, his eyes widened.

His face was now cracked, or rather, it had cracks all over it. The most noticeable ones, though, seemed to meet on his forehead, creating a jagged X. After a few seconds, he realized that the cracks seemed to extend down to his neck. Beginning to worry, Marco unzipped his hoodie to take a look at his body. Just like his face, cracks were jutting out of it as well. That wasn't the worst part, though. The worst part was that he saw that his skin was now deathly pale.

"Wha-what is this?" Marco said in a panicked tone while looking at himself in the mirror as he ran his hands across the cracks. Suddenly, Marco's reflection in the mirror glitched, and instead of his reflection, he was now looking at an image of what appeared to be a humanoid being dressed in red armor. The figure was the same height as him but looked like it wasn't human, at least not entirely. It was black around the arms and torso, but the rest was covered in the strange red armor. It looked like an alien version of the suits of armor warriors would wear in the Medieval era, with sharp joints around the elbows and knees to allow for movement. On top of the arms and behind the legs, gray spikes were jutting out, with two similar spikes on each of its feet. The red armor was also covered in black spots around the thighs and knees. The weirdest thing, though, was the figures face. It had brown eyes, a mouth that did not seem to move, and it was protected by some sort of mollusk-like helmet that covered the back, allowing the front to be visible. All told, it made for a very strange sight.

"Is this m-me?" Marco said while moving his hand in front of the mirror with the person doing the same with its hand, which he now noticed had sharp claws. When Marco looked at his hands, he saw that it was still the same and nothing like the one in the mirror, though when he took a look at the mirror again, the armored figure was gone. His reflection had replaced it, but that wasn't much of an improvement, considering everything.

_Okay, I am officially freaked out right now._

Marco then felt something ran past him. The moment he turned around, he saw one of the doors closing. When he approached it, he immediately opened it and saw what he hoped he would never have to see again.

"God, not this again." Right in front of Marco was the memory of his mental battle with Monster Armor his dark self. As Marco watched the scene unfold before him, despite the overwhelming urge to immediately close the door, something Monster Arm said caught his attention. Something about a mindscape. As Marco tried to ponder this, he heard the vision of the Monster Arm speak again.

"Everyone in the universe has a mental area where everything that makes them who they can sit comfy and cozy. Their thoughts, their memories, their innermost fears". The vision said. As soon as it was finished, Marco immediately closed the door. He didn't want to think of one of the worst moments in his life anymore.

However, the more Marco thought about what the Monster Arm said, the more he started putting things together. He had heard him say something about a Mindscape during the fight, but he had been so focused on survival that he ignored it. "Could it be that I'm inside my Mindscape?" Marco said. The more he thought about it, the more it started to make sense. This place he was trapped in contained all his memories, even the ones he wanted to forget about. Add that to the fact that it looked like his house, an obvious place of comfort, and it made even more sense. Though he still had no idea what the giant floating baby head and talking zebra were about, Marco concluded that he was in his Mindscape.

"Okay, now that I know I'm in the Mindscape, how the heck did I end up here. For that matter, how do I get out?" Marco questioned himself, still unable to recall the incident that caused him to pass out.

As soon as those words left Marco's mouth, another door down the hall opened itself. Seeing this, Marco immediately made his way towards it and saw another memory.

"Huh, this looks familiar," Marco said as he looked at a memory of him walking back home with Star talking about something called the Blood Moon Ball. "That's right. Star's ex came and asked her to go to this big dance tonight, and I was against it. Then she went anyway, and...what did I do next. The memory them went black, confusing Marco in the process. "Hey, what's the big deal?" Before he could say anything else, a red light appeared on two people that he now recognized as himself and Star.

"That's right! I chose to go the Blood Man Ball anyway because I had a feeling something bad would happen to Star. And then when I found her, that red light appeared, and without even realizing it I started dancing with her"

Marco watched as the memory of himself, and Star continued to gracefully dance across the ballroom floor. At the time, Marco was focused on getting Star out. When he looked back on it, though, he couldn't help but remember how happy he was dancing with her. Or how she seemed to look an angel, wide-eyed and pretty.

"Wow. Star looked really pretty right then. And man, could she dance. I guess being a princess means being a great dancer." As Marco kept his gaze on the memory of Star, he tried to remember what happened next. Then, he felt his head begin to hurt like someone was beating it with a hammer trying to split it open. Suddenly, the door shut as Marco began fell to his knees, clutching his head in pain.

* * *

**Real World, Diaz House**

"You're...you're a Celestial?" Star squeaked out as she felt her eyes widen in shock. Of all the things she had expected to hear from Mr. Diaz, she never expected something like this.

"Yes, Star, I am a Celestial. I know I may not look like one, but I can assure you that I am," Rafael confidently said.

"Wait, if that's true, then how come I've never seen you use your powers? Were you one of the ones who..."

"Wiped their memories? No, no. I still have all my memories and access to my powers. It's just that these days, I prefer being able to do things with my own two hands."

The confusion only intensified on Star's face as she began thinking of so many questions. "Mr. Diaz, just how old are you?"

Rafael gave an embarrassed laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, to be honest, Star, I don't know. I lost count. Since my people do not age, there was never really any need to keep track of our age. Though if I had to guess, I'd say I'm at least a few million years old."

"A FEW MILLION YEARS!?!?" Star shouted before remembering that Marco was still resting. "Sorry," she whispered. "A few million years?!?"

"Yep, and I don't look a day over forty."

"B-but, how long have you lived here on Earth? For that matter, why Earth?"

"Well, after we all agreed to go into hiding, I decided to travel to Earth. It's the only dimension that hasn't developed a means to travel to other dimensions, and with little magic to be found, I thought it would be the last place anyone would think to look for a Celestial. I've been living here for a few hundred years, give or take."

"Whoaa," Star said, wide-eyed at this revelation. "I can't even begin to imagine how much you've seen! It must have been so much fun!"

"Oh, it was at times."

As Star was about to ask him more about what sort of adventures and things he must have seen, she remembered why she was still there.

"Wait, if you're a Celestial, then doesn't that make Marco one, too?"

"Well, yes and no, Star. He's what you would call a Human-Celestial hybrid, as his mother was human."

"But I thought you said that all the attempts to have children with Celestials failed."

"They were until I met Marco's mother, Angie. She was special, kind, and beautiful. I fell in love with her soon after we met. Then, one day, we found out we were going to have Marco. Somehow, out of the many times, others had tried and failed to have children with a Celestial, we had succeeded."

That made Star think of another question about Marco's mother. She had heard Marco and his dad talk a lot about her, and she sounded like an amazing woman that Star would get along well with. However, she had never seen or heard from her since she came to Earth. Well, I might as well, Star thought as she asked her question: "Where is Marco's mom?"

At this, Rafael's face fell, saddened by the memory of what happened. "Sh-she is no longer with us, Star. She died giving birth to Marco. She lived long enough to hold Marco before she passed away," Rafael said, depressed over what had happened.

"Oh. I'm so sorry, Mr. Diaz. I-I didn't know!" Star said, guilty about what she had asked.

At this, Rafael gave Star a reassuring smile. "Don't be, Star. You didn't know, and Marco and I made peace with it a long time ago. For all our power, Celestials are unable to bring back the dead. Nor do we have any wish to."

Star felt saddened at this. She didn't have a very close relationship with her Mom, but she didn't want to imagine what life would be like for her family without her.

"After Marco was born, I decided that he should have as normal a life as possible, which is why I chose to stay here on Earth. When he began to show signs of inheriting my powers, I began to train him and teach him how to use them to protect himself. While he never said it out loud, though, I could tell that Marco was growing bored with life on Earth. I had hoped that one day, he would be able to leave home and see all this universe has to offer just as we did before. Then, you came into our lives and opened up the universe for him. For that, I thank you, Star Butterfly."

"You're welcome, Mr. Diaz. Marco has been the best friend I could ever ask for," Star said, smiling. Suddenly, though, a realization came over her. "Wait for a second, if Marco's half-Celestial, than that means he should have no problem being able to make weapons and armor like the red-armored boy I keep remembering from when I was in Mewberty. And Oskar said that I focused on him alone after we started fighting. A-and what I learned about the purpose of Mewberty means that-that I.." Star was, at this point, thinking out loud as she connected the dots about the Mewberty Incident together. And the only conclusion she could come up with was that Marco was the boy she had fought.

_B-but if that's true, then I must have been responsible for his injury. He could have overused his powers and led to this whole mess! Even worse, this means that I tried to-to_. Star did NOT want to finish those thoughts, as the implications of what her hormone-driven, boy-craze Mewberty state wanted her to do to her best friend was making Star blush in embarrassment.

"Star, are you okay?" Rafael asked out of concern, bringing her back to reality.

"Um, Mr. Diaz, did Marco happen to mention what happened while I was in Mewberty?"

"He might have brought it up when I spoke to him earlier tonight. But you do not need to worry. Marco doesn't blame you in the slightest for what happened."

"But what about those cracks on his body? They must have started appearing because of him using his powers to subdue me!

"It would seem so. But you mustn't blame yourself for that, either. This was likely to happen anyway, as his body is adjusting to the full extent of his powers. I just never thought it would happen so soon."

"Oh, man, I'm going to give the biggest apology of my life when Marco wakes up. Speaking of which, when will he wake up?" Star asked, looking back at her sleeping best friend.

"That I'm not certain of, but something tells me that it will be soon. And when he does, you two are going to have a lot to talk about," Mr. Diaz said as he began to stand up from his chair.

"Now then, if you'll excuse me, I will leave you two alone to talk things out. Don't overdo it, though. He's just been through a lot in one night, and he needs to adjust."

"Thank you, Mr. Diaz. And thank you for trusting me. Your secret is safe with me," Star said as Marco's dad left the room, getting ready to go to bed.

Star then turned back to look at her sleeping best friend, silently praying that he would wake up soon.

* * *

_Oh dear God, please let me wake up already!!!!_

Marco's head felt like it was being cracked open like an egg. One minute he remembered how he had gotten into the Mindscape. The next minute, it felt like someone was putting two drills between his ears and scrambling his brain. And in the midst of all that, the memories of what happened returned, hitting him like a ton of bricks. He remembered what Tom had done to him, what he had done to Tom, and worst of all, the scared look on Star's face is the last thing he remembered.

_Argh, It hurts! Why does my head feel like it's about to split open!_ Marco screamed in his mind, begging for the pain to stop. Finally, he felt a wave of energy similar to what he felt in the Underworld flow through his head and then his body as the headache started vanishing. Marco finally let go of his head. When he turned to look at the person in front of him, he saw it was the same black-hooded figure from before. Only now, their hood was lowered, revealing an ivory mask with black markings that resembled the cracks on his face.

When Marco was about to speak, the figure in front of him beat him to it, uttering only one word

**"Awaken."**

With that, Marco's vision went black once more.

* * *

**Real World(Diaz Household)**

Star was now alone in Marco's room, waiting who knows how long for him to wake up. In the meantime, she was trying to process everything that she had learned that night. That the Celestials her Mom told about were not only real, but she was living with two of them! Her best friend was half of one of the most powerful races in the entire universe. Not only that, but he had kept it a secret from everyone he knew for so long, and risked his life to help her while she was in Mewberty.

It still feels unbelievable, Star thought. Her bestie was basically a demigod. While she didn't think any less of him, though, she couldn't help but remember what he had looked like when he was fighting Tom. It was both awe-inspiring and terrifying, and she couldn't help but feel a little afraid at what she had witnessed.

_Star, what are you thinking? That's your bestie you're talking about! The person who accepted you despite all the trouble you cause._ Star mentally scolded herself for thinking such thoughts about Marco. Marco had done nothing but helped her since she came to Earth, all while he was keeping such a huge secret from everyone. _The least I can do is help him in return._

Star was immediately pulled out of her thoughts when Marco suddenly jolted awake, panting surprising Star out of her chair in the process.

"*Huff* *Puff* I-I'm back?" Marco said while panting as he took in his surroundings and saw that everything was no longer grayscale. "I'm back! WOO-HOO!" Maco shouted as he pumped his arms in the air in celebration.

That celebratory mood soon passed, though, as he then saw Star, still in her dress from the Ball, and for some reason was lying on the floor of his room.

Oh, right. Star saw everything. Marco thought. He had remembered everything that had happened at the Ball, including how utterly terrified she was at what he had become. He had never felt more ashamed of himself in his life.

I just hope she can find it in her heart to forgive me for everything, Marco thought as he steeled himself for the explanation that he was going to have to give.

"Star, I-"

But before he could say anything more, he was cut off by a bone-crushing hug.

_Well, I guess she's not mad at me, then!_

"Oh my corn, Marco. Thank Mewni, you're all right!" Star said as she tightened her hug on her best friend.

"Star...can't...breathe," Marco choked out while tapping his friend on the shoulder.

After a few more seconds of Star crushing Marco, she finally let go with a relieved smile that her best friend was alright. Though when she looked at Marco, he was looking off to the side, his face a mixture of fear and shame.

"I'm sorry, Star."

Star was taken aback by this. Why on Earth or Mewni was Marco apologizing to her? Then she remembered what had happened: the fight they had right before she left for the Ball. When she had seen that Marco had followed her, she was livid. But all that anger gave way to fear when she saw Tom try to burn him, and shock and horror at what she saw Marco do. By the time she had finished listening to his father's story, her anger was long gone.

Star wanted to say something, but she chose to stay quiet. Mr. Diaz had told her to let Marco tell her. This was something Marco had to do.

"I knew you could handle yourself, Star. I should have trusted you to handle Tom on your own. Instead, I lied to you about my injury, and I followed you against your wishes. And to top it off, you saw me reveal a part of myself I had been keeping secret in the worst way possible. I ruined the Ball for you. So, I'm sorry for everything." Marco said all of this in a deeply regretful tone.

"Hey, it's alright, Diaz. It wasn't all bad. At least now I know you can dance," Star said, trying to cheer her friend up. She was able to get a small smile out of him, which made her feel a little better about it.

After a few moments of silence, she heard Marco take a deep breath before looking back at her. All right, Diaz. You can do this, the boy thought.

"Star, I told you that I would explain everything after the Ball. So, about what happened after we danced.." Seeing her chance, Star interjected.

"Marco, it's alright. I know everything." Marco's eyes went as wide as saucers when she said this.

"Y-you do? But h-how did y-"

"Well, after you passed out, I brought you home and had your dad tend to your injuries. After that, he sat me down, and he told me everything."

"Everything?" Marco simply asked

"Everything, Marco. I know about the Celestials, how they went into hiding, how your father is one of them, and how your half-Celestial." Star said as calmly as possible, trying to keep her friend from freaking out. "And," she said while putting her hand on his shoulder, "I know that you're the one helped me while I was in Mewberty."

Marco was trying to do his best to keep himself from shaking as he looked at Star. "Star, I wanted to tell you so much. But I was terrified of how you see me. I thought you'd see me as a freak or monster."

"Marco Diaz, why would you even think that? You should know me well enough by now to know that I would never think of you like that!"

"But I saw the way you looked at me, Star! I don't think I've ever seen you so scared before!" Marco countered.

"Yes, Marco. I was scared. But it wasn't of you. I was scared because I thought that I was about to lose my friend, and I couldn't do anything to help him."

Marco just looked at her for a few seconds before he said something. "So, you really don't think I'm a freak?"

"Are you kidding me, Marco? You and dad took me in without a second thought, and you've stood by me during all the crazy things that have happened to us. If I didn't do the same for you, then what kind of friend would I be?"

Marco couldn't help but smile at her answer. But he was still uneasy about something.

"There's also another reason why I didn't tell you at first, Star. Do you know how Ludo keeps coming after you because of the Wand? Imagine that, only a hundred times worse, happening to me. If those with evil intent found out that there was a Celestial hybrid out there, they'd do anything to gain control of me. Even hurt the people I care about. If that happened, I could never forgive myself."

Star couldn't help but smirk at that. "Marco, I think you and I both know that I can more than take care of myself. And now I know that you can take care of yourself. At least, more than I already knew. If anyone comes after us, we'll take them together."

Hearing Star say this so confidently, Marco could help but return her smirk. _Star's right. Between my Celestial Powers and her magic, I think we got it covered._

"Plus, you know having a virtual demi-god as your best friend means?" Star added

"Um, what's that?" Marco asked, confused.

"It means we can go on even crazier adventures now! I mean, we'll have to find a way to keep people from learning the truth about you, but think of everything we could do! Especially now that I know you're not totally helpless!"

"Uh, I'm pretty sure I wasn't helpless before, though. I've got a red belt in karate and handle all those Monster's pretty well."

"Whatever you say, wild man, though I don't think you can go to school looking like that," Star said. When she saw Marco's confused face, she conjured up a mirror before giving it to him.

"What are talking about Sta-" the words died in Marco's throat once he got a look at himself. It was just like in the Mindscape. He had cracks all over his face, and he could feel them throughout his body though thankfully, his skin wasn't pale as a ghost.

"Wh-why am I still like this?!? I thought this was supposed to go away!" Marco said frantically while looking at himself.

"Yeah, your dad mentioned that this might be because you're a hybrid or something, so it may take longer for them to go away.

"I-I can't go to school like this, I'm not yet ready for other people to know about me," Marco said while dropping the mirror with a panicked look in his face.

"Nothing a little magic can't fix!" Star said enthusiastically before raising her wand.

"Star wait!" Marco said. However, Star simply ignored him.

"INSTANT COVERUP GLITTER BOMB!!" When Star's spell made contact with Marco, he was briefly engulfed in pink light. After it subsided, he looked at himself in the mirror and saw that the cracks were gone.

"Woah, how did you do that, Star?" Marco asked, impressed while Star got a proud look before answering.

"Just a spell I learned. It's supposed to mask any ailment," Star answered. "A lot of my relatives have used it when their appearances have been less than ideal at key times. Like public appearances, balls, parties, social gatherings. That sort of thing."

"Well, that may be the most practical spell I've seen you do yet, Star. Great work." Marco couldn't help but feel better despite everything that had happened that night. He was finally able to tell his best friend his biggest secret, and she fully supported him. As he was thinking, a realization came over him.

_Now that I don't have to hide it from Star anymore, I can finally show her._

"Hey, Star, I've got something that I've been to give you for a while. I just didn't know how until now."

Star started to say something, curious as to why he wanted to give her something. "Oh, Marco, you don't have to.."

Marco cut her off. "Star, I insist. Plus, consider this a proper introduction to my powers. Now watch my hands closely."

Before Star could object, Marco brought his hands together and began to concentrate. Soon, what looked like dust began to gather in the open palms of the boy's hands. The dust began to condense, forming the outlines of shapes. Star watched in awe as the dust began to form two small objects: a pair of necklaces in the shape of hearts. As if that wasn't impressive enough, two chains, attached to each necklace, then appeared.

At last, Marco finished with his creations, opening his eyes to see Star completely awestruck

"Wow," was all the girl could say.

"Yeah, it was like for me the first time, too. Anyway, Star, this is for you." Marco then handed her one of the necklaces, and as Star went to look at it, she saw it had the words "Best Friends Forever" engraved on one side and a picture of her and Marco on the other.

"Marco, this is.."

"Star, do you remember when we went to Quest Buy, and I went off on my own to look at stuff? I wasn't just browsing. I was looking for a gift for you."

"But why, though?" Star was genuinely confused as to what she did for him to deserve this.

"Star, I don't think I was ever going to stay on Earth forever. After I graduated from high school or college, I wanted to travel the universe and see everything it had to offer. But ever since you came into my life, I've been able to do all of these amazing things sooner than I could have ever hoped. We get to fight Monsters, travel to other dimensions, and see things that I never thought possible at my age. You changed my life for the better when we first met, and I thought that this was the least I could do for you."

Star grinned happily at this "Aw, thank you so much, Marco. You really are the best friend a girl could ask for! Hugs!" Star yelled, wrapping Marco in a tight hug, which he returned this time. _Her hugs feel so nice_. Marco thought, remembering all the times she hugged him. _And her hair smells like straw-wait, why am I thinking about that?_

Outside of Marco's room, Rafael had a content smile on his face. _He really is growing up Angie_, he thought to himself before leaving Star and Marco alone. Those two had a lot to talk about.

* * *

**Ordonia Household**

Janna was currently sitting in her room, getting in some late-night reading with Star's Book of Spells before she went to bed. She had meant to return it earlier, but with everything that happened with Mewberty, she decided to hold onto it for the time being. While the book had nothing on the Celestials, she started to look for a spell that could be cast without the wand or having any innate magic.

***Beep* *Beep***

Janna's phone rang. A few days ago, Janna found a social media site in the UNET, so without hesitation, she created an account for, allowing her to receive notifications whenever something big happens.

When Janna grabbed her phone, her eyes widened at the top trending topic:

"oh man, did you see wut hppnd to @princeofunderworld. He totally got rekt! #bloodmoonball"

"The #bloodmoonball got way more interesting tonite!

"So I hear some mystery person crashed the #bloodmoonball 2night and stole @princeofunderworld's date. Anyone wanna confirm?"

"Stole his date? They swept them off their feet! His date looked like they were on cloud 9. And then got all glowy and beat down the demon!

"#Glowinguy rekts @princeofunderworld. Who were they?"

Everyone's talking about the #bloodmoonball and how @princeofunderworld got rekt. But nobody asking real question: what kind of creature could do that

"I hear rumors going around. They're saying #Glowinguy may have been a FREAKIN CELESTIAL!! #Celestialsreturn

"A Celestial? I thought they were a myth! #noway

"A #Celestial at the #BloodMoonBall ? I new I shoulda gone! #Bummedout

"Guys, I found a video of the incident check it out."

Janna clicked the video; however, the guy who was seemingly glowing in the video had his face obscured for some reason.

_Dang and here I thought I could meet this guy in person_, Janna thought as she discarded her phone in frustration and went back to reading.

* * *

**Somewhere in Mewni**

"So," a voice said. The voice came from a figure in the dark, though his hands could be seen, they appeared to be made of yellow energy. "What are we gonna do now?"

"I don't know," a deep voice said.

Currently, a group of seven was gathered in a secret room., all staring down a circular table. The table itself was glowing and showing a video of the incident at the Blood Moon Ball.

"Are we to make our move then?

"No," a voice rasped as he came in through a double door. "There's no better time than now."

"But it's still too early, don't you think we are rushing things?" a woman's voice spoke.

"I agree, we should wait and see what this boy can do first before we make our move."

"Well," said another voice. "Are you sure? He might not be one you know, How can we be sure he's even one of them?"

"How about we observe him for now, then. Just to be sure?" another voice suggested

The first guy from earlier nodded in thought, then he said, "Ok, how about we let the boss decide what we should do?" Everyone turned to a figure who seemed to be in thought as he had his eyes closed before speaking.

"We shall observe first. If he truly does possess it, then we shall make our move. For now, everyone is dismissed," The person said in a deep voice before turning to leave.

The other people simply nodded as they turned to leave as well, leaving the table alone, which deactivated.

* * *

**Quest Buy Private Study**

The Sentinel, now known as Rover, was currently inactive. Ever since Marco's departure, he rarely activated. Not many people knew about the private study. Suddenly, Rover's eyes and core activated, and he began to speak.

**"System Update: Celestial sighting updating from 500 years ago to 1 day ago.**

**No images available.**

**Last known location: Underworld**

**Incident: the Prince of the Underworld attacked a humanoid believed to be a Celestial.**

**Incident Result: Prince and Royal Guards suffered injuries. Currently being treated**

**Identity of the Celestial: unknown**

**Place of origin: unknown**

**Known companion: Star Butterfly, Princess of Mewni**

**Update Complete."**

**Rover then saw the video of the incident that everyone had been watching. Unlike them, though, he was able to recognize the person in the video**

**"Marco Diaz"**

* * *

Celestial Journal

The Forge-the home dimension of the Celestials. Not much is known about this dimension other than it being the birthplace of the Celestials. It is impossible to access by other beings due to the lack of information on the place, unless they are brought along or accompanied by a Celestial, the forge is virtually impossible to access by other beings

* * *

**Chapter Notes:**

**[we see Jay sitting in a recliner chair finishing a bag of apple crisps. When he sees the chapter is over, he then turns to get up and speak to the readers]**

**Holy cow, this was a crazy chapter. When ROTHEM told me about what he had wanted to do here, I knew that he was doing something special with this story. Of all the chapters I got to help him edit, I think this may have been my favorite after Blood Moon Ball. It really gave us a chance to look at Star and Marco's relationship and how Marco's secret would affect it going forward. But I think I want to let ROTHEM speak. Take it away, ROTHEM!**

**Well first of all from here on out the story will start diverging from the show little by little(obviously). Like I said previously this story will be based on the four seasons of the show. Because of the different attitude of Marco as well as his relationship with Jackie, Janna, and Oskar ,chapters that are based from the show will be altered. After season 1 the story will diverge even more than from the show though if you have an episode from the show that you want to see feel free to let me know and I'll try to do it if possible.**

**Anyways as always thank you for reading this story of mine as well as for Following and Favoriting(still not sure if this is a word).****Thank you for the kind Reviews and feel free to Critic as they are always appreciated as they can help me improve my writing.**

**Review Responses:**

**OMAC001- well hope you liked how the reveal went**

**Starco4everr-thank you for your continued support**

**I'mafanofFANFICTIONS-truthfully the kudos for the last chapter should go to my editor as he was the one who wrote it due to me suffering writer's block at the time though Revelations was done by me this time.**

**Masked Freak- nice poem. glad you like it so far.**

**Kraven the Hunter-don't worry that's not the last you've seen of Milly Sparkles.**

**sonavelkovskaa5842- thank you for your support.**

**See you guys next chapter where a new OC is added for the story**

**Rothem out** **Peace!**


	16. Marco's trip to Mewni

In the early morning at the Diaz House, Star was currently talking to her parents on her dimensional mirror. Ever since she came to Earth, they called her every week to make sure she wasn't getting into trouble. Much to her dismay, as it meant she had to listen to their reminders on behaving like a Princess. Still, she pretended to listen to her parents, King River and Queen Moon, as they prattled on about stuff she could care less about.

Star's father, River, was a short and stout man with a long blonde beard and blue eyes, dressed in the attire of a king and carrying a scepter in one hand. Unlike her father, her mother, Queen Moon, was taller and far more stately looking, her pale blue hair done up in a heart-shaped hairdo. Her pale blue eyes also seemed to have a hint of coldness to them, one that Star worried over her entire life. And she was the last person Star wanted to learn about what she did on Earth!

"Of course, very few are aware of the serious matter, so I'll be traveling afar to give an all-day lecture explaining the proper throne posture." River remarked. "Slouched shoulders are an epidemic among nobility these days."

Star listened with a mixture of boredom and drowsiness with the hearts on her cheek turning into hourglasses. She wasn't really listening to her Dad, with the only thing she could hear coming out of his mouth being "bla bla bla, bla, yap yap, bla bla bla."

"So this is what it's like to be bored to death," Star mumbled to herself before yawning. After everything that had happened the night before with the Blood Moon Ball and learning the truth about Marco, Star had slept in late. She only got up because she remembered her parent's call. She wound up using her wound to do her hair, get into clothes for the day, and brush her teeth simultaneously.

Star then looked at the BFF necklace Marco gave to her last night, smiling as she remembered how the two spent most of the night talking with each other while Marco demonstrated to her some of his abilities. Star had been giddy with excitement the entire time that her best friend could do so many amazing things. Plus, Marco even told her that, like her Wand, he hadn't mastered his powers yet.

_He really is the best friend I could ask for_, Star thought to herself with a smile until she heard her mother's voice pulling her from her thoughts.

"Star! Are those dimensional scissors?" Moon questioned with a frown on her face. Star looked behind her and saw the dimensional scissors Ponyhead gave her on the table. _Oh, crud!_

"Uh..." Star said before picking up the scissors and a piece of paper. "N-No, no, of course not! Just normal Earth scissors, see?" Star said nervously.

"Yeah, they're very normal scissors! and they're very good at cutting papers too!" Star added before using the scissors to turn the paper into a unicorn cutout. In the process, though, she accidentally opened a small dimensional portal behind her, causing a monster's arm to emerge and started pawing at her.

"Good, "Moon said. "Because you are not to leave Earth."

"I would never think of it!" Star replied with a nervous smile as she punched and kicked the monster arm behind her. At least not with you knowing about it.

"Glad to hear it." River remarked and saw his watch was beeping. "I'm sorry, your mother and I must cut you short. I have lecture things to do."

"Oh, him and his lectures, "Moon commented as she and River left before the mirror turned off.

"Okay, bye!"Star said with a smile, " See you next time!"

Star shoved the Monster's arm back through the portal, and the portal closed. "Phew!" Star sighed while wiping her forehead with her arm. If her parents found out that she was a.) using her magic freely on Earth b.) regularly traveled to other dimensions or c.) fought Monsters daily, they'd send her to St. O's, which meant no more fun, no more awesome friends, and no more Marco!

"I wonder what Marco's up to right now. Mr. Diaz did tell us to take a day off school." After everything that had happened the night before, Mr. Diaz thought that Marco should have a day to adjust to his growing powers, so he called the school and told them Marco was sick. And he let Star stay home to relax/look after Marco. Star giggled, remembering how Marco had immediately objected to it, not wanting to spoil his perfect attendance record. Principal Skeeves chose not to count him breaking his arm as being absent since it was an emergency.

_Oh well, only one way to find out_, Star thought as she made her way to her bestie's room.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Marco's room, he was currently reading through his Celestial Journal. Since he couldn't talk his Dad into letting him go to school, he had been up early reading through the Journal. After the incident in the Underworld and his conversation with Star, Marco found the book had grown. Whereas once only a few pages could be read, now a good portion of the Journal was visible, much to his joy. Right now, he was skimming through some of the pages Celestials could utilize their powers.

"Alright, let's see here. Levitation- by controlling the molecules around their bodies, Celestials can levitate or fly themselves without the need to create wings on themselves," Marco said as he finished reading.

_Huh, flying would be a neat trick since creating wings on my back was painful for me_, Marco thought as he recalled how painful it was to grow wings from his back, causing him to shudder. Not to mention, it had wrecked his hoodie in the process!

Finished reading, Marco got up from his desk and moved to the center of his room to begin practicing.

"Alright, let's do this! Just imagine controlling the molecules around me," Marco said as he closed his eyes while imagining the molecules surrounding his body. To help, he thought of the best visual example: characters in the Dragon Ball franchise floating. After a few failed attempts, Marco finally opened his eyes and saw that his feet were no longer touching the ground. He had successfully managed to float in the air!

_This is so cool!_ Marco thought as he smirked in triumph. That sense of joy was short-lived, though, as Star kicked open the door to his room, causing him to lose his concentration and fall on his butt.

"Star! How many times have I told you not to do that?!?" Marco yelled as he rubbed his sore butt.

Star got a sheepish look before speaking. "Oops sorry about that Marco, what were you doing anyway?" she asked while Marco got up from the floor. "Shouldn't you be taking it easy after everything that happened last night?" After the events of the night before, Marco said that the pain he had from using his powers had gone away. Now all that was left were the cracks on his body, which Star had already used her magic to cover up.

"I already told you, Star, I feel fine. Besides, I was just practicing something I read from the book." Marco said as he created a glass of water before drinking it and then turning said glass back into the air.

"Book?" Star said in a confused tone having no idea what book Marco was referring to until she spotted a book on his desk.

"You mean this book?" Star asked as she flipped it open, only to see that it was utterly blank. "Um Marco, this book is empty," she said while facing the pages of the book to Marco, who simply laughed.

"It would look like that to you, Star. It's something only a Celestial can read." Marco said as he took the book out of Star's hands. "It's called the Celestial Journal. I got it as a gift while we were out dimension-hopping."

"So wait, this book has information about the Celestials and what they can do? And who could have given you something like this?" Star asked.

"Well, yeah. The book is like your Book of Spells. As I learn more about my powers, and the Celestials, more pages of the Journal will be filled. As for who gave it to me, let's just say it was another Celestial." Marco said that last part sheepishly, as he wasn't sure if he should tell Star it.

"*gasp* you mean you already met another Celestial while we were out traveling?!?!? OhmygoshMarcothatissoamazingyoumustbesoexcited" Star squealed while jumping up and down. "Oh, but Marco, you don't have to tell me who it was. I know your Dad's people don't want to attract attention."

Marco smiled at how understanding Star was. "Thanks for respecting that, Star. It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that I don't know how happy they'd be if I revealed their identities to someone else, even my best friend. Speaking of books, did you get your Spellbook back from Janna yet? I'm afraid of what she could do with magic."

Marco then thought of an image of the entire world in flames and with weird monsters and creatures roaming free while Janna watched in a teal leotard and brown cape, while apocalyptic music played in the background.

The worst-case scenario was enough to make Marco shudder.

"Yeah, I called her about it earlier this morning, and she said she'll bring it over later since she still has class," Star explained.

"I still can't believe Dad made us take the day off from school," Marco groaned to which Star just laughed in amusement, seeing nothing wrong with not going to school.

"Oh, come on, Marco. Didn't your Dad tell you that it's for your own good since he said your cracks might still act up? So its better safe than sorry," Star reasoned.

Marco simply sighed in defeat, knowing that there's no point in complaining, "So Star, what brings you to my room?" Marco asked

"Oh, nothing. I was just actually wondering what you were up to" Star answered nonchalantly "So what were you doing before I got here?"

"Well, if you must know, I was attempting to perfect this trick I found in the book. By controlling the molecules around the vicinity of my body, I can use them to suspend and propel myself through the air, allowing for instantaneous movement and travel." Marco explained.

"Mole-What now?" Star asked, visibly confused by Marco's explanation.

Marco simply sighed before speaking, "It means I can fly, Star."

Having understood the simpler explanation this time, Star's face lit up again, filled with excitement. "Wow, that's so cool! So were you able to do it then?" Star asked excitedly.

"For a moment..yes, but it took a lot of concentration on my part, so don't expect me to be flying anytime soon," Marco said in a disappointed tone.

"Aw, cheer up, Marco. I got my Mewberty wings, and I still can't fly with them, remember?" Star said as she turned out and moved her hair out of the way, revealing her tiny Mewberty wings. "Wait, but weren't you able to make those cool metal wings when you fought me while I was in Mewberty?"

Marco winced hearing this, remembering how painful it was to grow those metal wings of his. In fact, now that he thought about it, _why metal? Couldn't he have just made ordinary wings, or turned his arms into wings? Maybe that would have been less and wouldn't have cost me my hoodie and shirt_, Marco thought in hindsight. Seeing Star's confused and expecting look, Marco answered her question.

"I'm gonna be honest with you, Star: growing those metal wings was really painful. Ever since the Monster Arm thing, I've been able to turn my arms and legs into different shapes, like this." Marco then held out his arm, concentrated, and proceeded to turn it into a dog's leg before changing it back. "The wings, though, they were like trying to grow a new limb altogether, with everything needed. It hurt like crazy, more so since I chose to have them made out of a metal-like alloy. So, again, don't expect to see me flying anytime soon." Marco finished in a serious tone, followed by an awkward silence as neither of them spoke for a few seconds before Marco decided to break said silence.

"So, Star, what crazy adventure do you have planned. Since we don't have school today, I know you want to go dimension-hopping, right?" Marco asked with a knowing smirk which Star immediately returned, excited by the mere thought of going on a crazy adventure with her bestie. Now that she knew how tough Marco was, they could handle way more than they initially could! Star's mind raced with potential places they could travel. However, a thought occurred to her: she learned so much about her bestie and his heritage, Earthly and Celestial. Yet Marco knew next to nothing about her and her home. He knew she was a magical princess from a place called Mewni; she had a magic Wand, was friends with a talking horse-head, and had a demon ex with anger issues. Other than that, nothing.

_I think it's time for a grand tour of my home_, Star thought as he got the biggest grin on her face, much to Marco's confusion.

"Hey, Marco, what do you say about a trip to Mewni?" Star said with a sly smile.

"I can be ready in the next thirty seconds," Marco said as he started to make and/or gather anything he may need.

* * *

A few minutes later, a portal opened in a dimension Star hadn't been to in months (not counting the Underworld) and out stepped the blonde princess and her half-human, half-alien bestie.

"Marco Ubaldo Diaz, WELCOME TO MEWNI!!" Star shouted as she waved her hand out in excitement.

"WHOAAAA!!!" Marco had stars in his eyes as he stepped out of the portal and saw Star's home for the first time. He was also wearing an "Earth Dude" hat and a fanny pack that he could use to conjure anything he may need. As he looked around in awe, he pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and took a photo of their surroundings.

"So, is this where you grew up, Star?" Marco asked as he tried to get a good enough shot of the town they had arrived in.

"No-ho-ho, "Star replied and pointed to a large castle in the distance. "I live there."

"Ooh!"Marco said as he tried to get the castle in the background.

"A bit higher, "Star commented.

Marco saw an even bigger castle in the clouds.

"Ooooh!"Marco responded as he now tried to get the larger castle in his camera.

"Higher!"Star said in a sing-song tone.

Marco then looked up and saw Butterfly Castle in all its glory. Its massive walls seemed impregnable as they ringed around the castle/palace. Its towers stood tall and proud, reaching above even the clouds themselves, and the onion domes that topped them glistened in the sunlight.

If Marco's jaw could hit the ground, it would.

"You live in that?" Marco asked while pointing to Butterfly Castle, just now remembering that Star was a princess. "It's too bad we can't go there. I don't think your parents wouldn't be happy if they found out you're not on Earth."

"Aw don't worry, you don't wanna see that lame, cheesy, touristy stuff, "Star replied with a smile. "What you want is the real Mewni experience," Star said while gesturing to the town she and Marco standing in. "Only the best for my best friend, Marco."

Marco looked around and was kind of taken back with what he saw in the Mewni slums. There was a woman who was seen caring for 14 children, a herd of 12 pig-goats in a pen, and a woman with a long nose stirring a pot of stew. Marco almost mistook her for a witch from one of those old-timey movies. Then to make things weirder, he saw a little boy reach for the stew, only for the woman to shove him in the pot and giggle about it.

_Yeesh, this town looks like it had seen better days_, Marco thought before noticing a little boy not far from where he was standing.

"Hey there, little guy," Marco called out to the boy trying to remain enthusiastic. The boy then turned around, showing that it was eating a horned rat before hissing at Marco and running off. "Well, that was something," Marco said a bit nervously, trying to ignore the fact that the kid was eating a rat. And raw, no less!

Star got a nervous look upon seeing that Marco wasn't having a great time with the trip. In hindsight, she realized that compared to the clean, more technologically advanced Earth, Mewni seemed like a dump. "Look, Marco, open-air market!" she said enthusiastically, which managed to pull Marco's attention away from what he just saw.

In front of them, there was a massive market filled with dozens of stalls and vendors selling all kinds of items. Some were standing behind stalls. Others were lying on the ground on a mat with their wares spread out before them. All of them, though, was busy chatting up the hundreds of potential customers in the plaza.

"*gasp* Star, this is perfect! Since Dad couldn't come, I wanted to get him a souvenir." Marco said happily as he reached into his fanny pack, pulling out a wad of cash. "But question: do you think the vendors will take Earth money?"

"Oh, they take currency from all across the universe. But if they don't, don't worry. My parents gave me an allowance before I left, and I kept it in case I needed to come back." Star then used her Wand to poof out a bag of coins. "Wait, how do you have so much money on you, anyway?"

"You know how told you I just bought a single hoodie and then used my powers to copy it eleven times? Same principle, but with money. That way, I'm never short on cash whenever I'm out."

Star couldn't help but be impressed by how clever that was as she directed her best friend into the crowded market as they looked at every vendor.

"Get your hydra trail apples!" Yelled one merchant

"Half off shrunken goblin heads!" advertised another.

"Want pickled giant's toe? It's good!" offered another

Marco continued to browse through the different stalls trying to find something to get for his Dad as a souvenir.

Marco then came across a stall lacking any items to sell whatsoever with the merchant wearing some sort of towel around his body. The merchant then called out to Marco, who was walking away, making him go back to the stall.

"Psst, hey mac." The merchant said to Marco.

"Uhh, do you want someth-ah what are you doing?!?!?" Marco instantly averted his eyes when he saw the merchant about to open his robe. When he opened his eyes, though, he saw, to his relief, that he was just showing off his wares.

"You wanna buy a sundial? Or some wind chimes?" The weird vendor asked. "Ooh, how much for a wind chime?" Marco asked.

Meanwhile, Star was patiently waiting for Marco to finish browsing through the stalls when something caught the corner of her eyes, making her gasp in shock and fear. In front of a store that sold traditional hunting weapons, was her Dad, River Butterfly, accompanied by two servants. He was currently looking over a spear and testing its effectiveness.

Panicking, Star immediately ran over to Marco, who had just finished his transaction with the very happy merchant.

"Oh, hey Star, check out this wind chime. My Dad's gonna love this," Marco said cheerfully, not noticing the look of panic on Star's face.

"That's neat, but you know, Marco, how about we take a look at some of Mewni's natural beauty and wildlife?" Star asked with a bit of a rushed and nervous tone. Something that Marco was able to pick up on "What's wrong, Star? You seem to be in a hurry," Marco asked in a confused tone. This only caused Star to laugh, though very nervously.

"Haha, what are you talking about, Marco? Of course nothing's wrong. I'm just very excited for you to see more of my home dimension!" Star answered this time, hiding the nervousness in her tone while gesturing to a scary-looking forest. Marco wanted to press the issue but then figured that it wasn't worth it.

"Eh, Why not?" Marco shrugged nonchalantly unfazed by the Forest's terrifying appearance.

"Great now, let's go," Star said happily as she and Marco made their way to the Forest's entrance. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw a flash of familiar blonde hair making its way towards the market area they were just in. This only prompted her to run even faster while grabbing onto Marco's hand, much to his protests.

* * *

Once the two managed to make their way to the entrance of the creepy-as-hell looking Forest, Marco noticed the sign at the entrance. Along with the words written in big, red paint.

"Forest of Certain Death?!" Marco said as read the sign aloud in a horrified tone. Marco could handle a lot of things, thanks to his martial arts training and powers. Yet a place named "Forest of Certain Death" drew a lot of red flags. He turned towards his best friend, giving her a face that mixed horror and questioning her intentions. "You want to go to a place called 'the Forest of Certain Death'?"

"Oh, don't read too much into the name, "Star assured. "I go in there all the time, and I never get hurt! Now hurry up!" Star said while entering the Forest, along with Marco, now resigned to heading in there. He really didn't want to strain his powers too much!

Meanwhile, not far from the entrance of the Forest, a person who seemed to be watching them with an intrigued look cracked a sinister smile before entering the woods himself.

* * *

As soon as they entered the woods, it became clear to Marco that these woods were nothing like the ones he was familiar with on Earth. Actually, comparing their current surroundings to Earth was like comparing a cat to a tiger. And that tiger was Shere Khan from The Jungle Book!

The plants looked strange and seemed like they could actually move. The canopy was so thick that no sunlight could pierce through despite it being sunny outside. All told, it looked like the kind of place you'd find in horror stories. Still, this didn't stop Marco, who had gotten over his initial horror at the Forest's name, from taking pictures for his Dad.

"So Star, any particular reason this is called the Forest of Certain Death?" Marco questioned as he continues to take pictures of the Forest.

"Well, Marco, there are two reasons behind the name. First, this Forest is filled with all sorts of incredibly deadly plants and animals. When my family first decided to build our castle here, they tried to clear out the entire Forest for themselves. Even with magic, though, they could never clear the whole Forest out. Many of the brave soldiers they led into these woods would never return." Star said, trying to sound as spooky as possible, much to Marco's amusement.

"The second reason is that, according to legend, the Forest is ruled by a terrifying monster. And not just any monster, but a monster so dangerous that no one has ever seen it before!" Star then turned around to look right at Marco as she continued her story. "Many brave and foolish Mewmans have walked into these woods to hunt this Monster, or at least get a glimpse of it. None have returned!"

Star then immediately dropped the fearful look she had on her face in place of one of her signature smiles as she lightened up. "Though to be honest, I think those stories are just rumors. cause I've been in this forest plenty of times and, not once, have I run into this Monster."

"Why am I not surprised that you would enjoy being in a place called the 'Forest of Certain Death,' Star?" Marco said as he playfully rolled his eyes. "You fit right in here." Star simply nodded her head as she led Marco deeper into the Forest, sometimes pointing out some of the more interesting plants for Marco to get photos of.

"This right here's called a bleeding willow tree." Star gestured to a tree that seemed to be oozing some sort of red liquid, giving it the appearance that it was bleeding.

"Oh, man, Janna would love this thing!" Marco made sure to get several good photos of the tree. If he didn't, then who knows what Janna would do to him!

"Here's a carnivore blossom" this time, she pointed to what looked like a venus fly trap except that it was close to the size of a man. As Marco got close to it, the plant snapped at him and tried to bite his face off. Fortunately, thanks to his Celestial reflexes, he was able to dodge its attack with ease. He then got a cool idea. "Quick question, Star: is it safe to feed this thing?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not?" Star said. "Though what could you even feed it?" As soon as she finished that, Marco reached into his fanny pack and pulled out a ribeye steak, which he then threw to the plant, which happily scarfed it down.

"And Celestial Genes for the win!" Marco yelled as he took a selfie with the plant in the background as Star giggled at what her best friend just did.

"Man, Mewni sure is different from Earth," Marco commented once he was finished with the blossom. "I can't believe that it took me this long to come here! Thanks for finally bringing me here, Star." Marco couldn't help but give off a big smile to his best friend in gratitude.

"Of course, Marco. It's the least I could do after everything you've done for me." Star answered happily.

Unbeknownst to the two, a creature that looked like a cross between a wolf and hyena was watching them nearby in the bushes. It crouched low to the ground, preparing to pounce on the two unsuspecting suckers. Before it could make its move, though, it suddenly felt a hand on its head. It nearly jumped before realizing it would give away its location, which led it to growl at the unwanted intruder who dared to disturb its meal. As soon as it saw who exactly had disturbed it, the hybrid canine got a terrified look before running away with its tail between its legs, before a familiar figure emerged from the shadows

The figure from earlier simply snickered as the wolf-hyena ran away from him in fear. He then turned his attention towards the two teenagers exploring the Forest. "Hmm interesting," the person said to itself before suddenly changing form and hiding once more in the shadows as it followed the two visitors. "Very interesting."

As Marco and Star continued to explore the Forest, Marco occasionally took pictures of stuff that Star pointed out, even managing to get Star to pose for some goofy selfies together. On her part, Star was enjoying being a tour guide for her best friend, who eagerly listened to all the new and fascinating things he was learning about Mewni. All told, both were glad they had skipped out on school for this day trip. It felt like their friendship, which once seemed on the rocks, was now stronger than ever.

"...and that, Marco, is how I tamed my very first Warnicorn" Star said proudly finished her latest story from her childhood.

Marco nodded intrigued though there was one thought in his head: _what's a Warnicorn?_

They were pulled from their conversation when they heard a rustling from a nearby bush. Star raised her Wand while Marco formed a rock fist on his right arm, which surprised Star, who had to remind herself that her best friend was pretty much a demigod.

After a few more seconds, they were met with one of the most adorable things they had ever seen in their lives. It was a small, salamander-like lizard with a pale blue body, a white snow belly, and two big button eyes.

In the face of such cuteness, Star and Marco reacted in the most logical way possible: by going "awww!" at it. They couldn't take their eyes off the little guy.

"Star, don't move," Marco whispered. "I need to get a picture of it!" Marco grabbed his phone from his pocket. Just as he was about to snap a picture, the little lizard ran away.

"Hey, wait!" Marco called out while running after the critter, determined to at least get a decent photo of it. Star was about to follow suit until she heard a voice that made her lose color from her face.

"These tracks are fresh."

Star turned around and peeked from behind a tree and saw River, accompanied by his servants, was tasting the ground.

"Pegasus Feathers, he's onto us. The next thing I know, I'm in St. Olga's," Star said to herself in a panicked tone.

"Marco, I think it's time for us to-" When Star turned her direction to where he last saw Marco, he was no longer there. "Marco? Where are you?" She then noticed the wind chime he bought was lying on the ground next to a bunch of footprints than she recognizes that belongs to her best friend. So she wasted no time in following his trail so they could leave before her Dad caught her, told her mom, and sent her to St. O's where she would slowly harden her heart as she plotted her escape and get revenge.

* * *

After following the trail for a few minutes, Star finally found Marco, taking pictures of the blue lizard on a tree trunk. Oddly enough, the lizard seemed to enjoy the attention, even posing for several pictures. First, it made this cute pouty face with its head in its claws, then it got on its side and tried to look like a supermodel posing. Marco, meanwhile, was loving the whole thing.

"Oh man, my friends back home are gonna love you! What pose do you want to do next, little guy?" Marco excitedly asked the cute critter. Star sighed in relief as she approached Marco.

"There you are, Marco. Anyway, I think that concludes our tour now, so how about we get out of here. Like, right now." Star tried to hide the worry in her voice, but Marco couldn't help but pick up on it.

"Star, is there something you're not telling me?" Marco asked as he stopped looking at the lizard and turned to Star.

Sighing in resignation, Star decided just to fess up. "All right, Marco. I saw my Dad in town while you were browsing the vendors, and both of my parents don't know that I have dimensional scissors or that I'm traveling to other dimensions when I should be practicing. I hoped we could lose him in the Forest, but he's only a few minutes behind us. If he finds out I'm on Mewni again, he'll tell my mom, and she'll send me to... St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses!" It took all of Star's willpower not to scream at the mention of that place.

Seeing how worried his friend was, Marco decided that they could always come back to Mewni another time. This trip wasn't worth Star going to St. O's. "All right, Star. How about we head home then? I got enough photos on my phone, plus you managed to get the wind chime I bought," Marco said while pointing at what Star had in her hands.

Star couldn't help but smile at this. "Thanks for being so understanding, Marco. Now come on, let's go home and spend the rest of the day eating nachos." Star reached into her pocket and grabbed her dimensional scissors. However, before she could open a portal, the lizard jumped up and snatched the scissors right out of her hands with its mouth before running off.

"What the? Hey, get back here!" Star yelled before running after the lizard with Marco.

Marco and Star proceeded to chase the lizard to retrieve the scissors, with Star occasionally trying to catch it with a spell only for it to miss due to how agile the lizard was. The little guy could run really fast! The whole thing was reminding Marco of when he had to chase that stupid dog creature back in Quest Buy.

"Raspberry Ribbon Lasso!" Star fired pink-colored ropes at the lizard that, for some reason, smelled like raspberries, only for said lizard to once again easily avoid the spell.

"Let me try," Marco said before pointing his hands towards the lizard. Suddenly an arm made out of rocks emerged from the ground in front of the lizard, causing it to stop in its tracks. Marco then used the arm to reach for the scissors in the lizard's mouth. However, just like with Star's spell, it simply leaped around it.

"Damnit," Marco yelled out, frustrated before an idea popped in his head. "Hey Star, I got an idea," Marco said before whispering his idea to Star, who smiled at it before raising her Wand again.

"Raspberry Ribbon Lasso!" Star chanted the same spell from earlier, which released a bunch of ropes towards the lizard again. Like before the lizard jumped, however, it was then grabbed by a rock arm Marco conjured up at the same time Star blasted her spell.

"Gotcha!" Marco yelled triumphantly as he took the scissors from the lizard before handing it to Star.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Diaz," Star said, smiling. "Now, let's get out of here before my Dad catches us. Also, how did we get inside this cave?"

As Marco looked around, he saw that they had somehow managed to enter a cave that was lit by sunlight coming from a hole in the ceiling.

How did I not notice this before? Unfortunately, Marco didn't seem to realize that the lizard had slipped out of his rock arms. He did, however, notice a sinister presence coming from the caving.

"Yeah, Star, let's get out of here. I got a bad feeling about this cave."

Just as Star was about to use the scissors an ominous voice spoke out

"Just where do you two think you're going?"

Star and Marco immediately got into a fighting stance while looking around the cave for the source of the voice. After a few seconds of looking around, their eyes landed on the lizard from before standing by the entrance of the cave, confusing the two.

"Huh?" Marco and Star said with a confused look on their faces.

"What? Never seen a lizard talk before?" It asked in a very sarcastic tone that contrasted with the smug smirk it had on its face.

"Did, did that lizard thing just talk, Star?" Marco asked his best friend, who was just as perplexed as he was.

"Oh my gosh, you two should see the looks on your faces! Priceless!" The creature laughed so hard that it fell on its back and started rolling around on the ground in amusement.

After a second or two, Star came to her senses first and proceeded to ask the question that was on both of their minds: "Um, excuse me, but who are you and why did you steal my scissors, you adorable little jerk." Star held her Wand in front of her for good measure, in case it chose not to cooperate.

For some reason, the sight of the Wand only caused the lizard to laugh even harder. "Hahaha! You're- you're actually threatening to use that toy on me? Adorable!!" it managed to get out in between laughs, which only irritated Star. Finally, the lizard managed to calm down enough to finish speaking. "Look hearts, to answer your two questions, I stole your scissors for the heck of it. As for who I am, all you need to know is that I'm the guy whose territory you're trespassing on. So as hilarious as it is to see you point your little Wand at me, I can't let you guys leave here, especially since Red Hood took all those photos of me."

"What? But you seemed so into it." Marco remarked to the side.

The lizard simply shrugged. "What can I say? I just love getting attention," it replied. "Now," it continued, its voice suddenly gaining a demonic aspect to it, "*no one may enter my dominion and leave unless I will it so!*."

While Marco couldn't help but feel tense at the sinister aura this small, adorable creature was somehow able to release, Star started to laugh at it.

"Hahaha, oh man," Star said while wiping a few tears from her eyes due to laughing so hard. "You really are an adorable little guy going all 'No one leaves in one piece,' " She said the last part while mockingly imitating the lizard's voice. However, the creature didn't seem fazed by this, as it was still smirking at them.

_Why am I getting Janna vibes from this thing?_ Marco thought of how his beanie-wearing childhood friend always had the same smirk on her face. The only difference was that there was that Janna never had the same malice behind her trademark smirks that he was now getting off this lizard-thing.

Star, on the other hand, was clueless about the vibes Marco was getting. "Anyways nice talking to you, but if you don't mind, me and my bestie should be going" Star began to open a portal, but then she noticed that green mist was starting to envelop the cave, causing her to stop.

"Huh? What is thi-" Before either Marco or Star could react, a large tail smacked the scissors out of her hand, sending them flying across the cave. The two looked at the entrance of the cave again, only for their eyes to widen in horror.

Standing by the entrance was no longer the adorable little lizard from before. Instead, in its place, stood a lizard twice the size of a full-grown warnicorn. The creature was terrifying to look at, with two red eyes located on either side of its bug-like head. Its beak-like mouth was lined with sharp teeth, made all the more menacing by its gums protruding from its lower jaw which, they saw, was where the mist was coming from. Its body was lined with rows of spikes lining all the way across its back, ending in a tail with a noticeably blood-red tip. All in all, Marco and Star would be lying if they didn't feel intimidated by the creature standing in front of them.

Before they could even process what was going on, the giant monster whipped its tail around, threatening to slam Star and Marco into the walls of the cave. Thankfully, they were able to dodge just in time.

"Where did this thing come from!?" Marco said as he ducked under another swing from the creature's tail with Star simply leaping over it.

"Super Rainbow Dolphin Slam!" Star chanted. A blast of rainbows accompanying a bunch of cute dolphins shot out of her wand, slamming right in front of the lizard's face and scoring several direct hits. The lizard growled in anger at this as, but then got a wicked smile (they thought it was a smile) as it started to plan something. What happened next shocked Marco and Star.

Suddenly, the lizard started changing appearance. Its skin started to harden and transform into rock-like armor, encasing its body. Its limbs began to morph and twist into sharp, pointed ends with two smaller legs jutting out of its sides. Its body took on a purple color, as it's reptilian/insectoid face contorted into that of a rhino. When it was done, it looked like a weird cross between a rhino and a crab. As if that wasn't weird enough, the crab-rhino suddenly spoke in a voice that Star and Marco recognized as the small lizard from earlier.

"What's wrong, never seen a shapeshifter before?" It said, smugly enjoying the look of panic on Star and Marco 's face before suddenly charging towards the duo at a surprisingly fast speed.

Star blasted the creature with the same spell from before. However, this time, it didn't even flinch, nor did it slow down at the least. As the creature was about to hit Star, she was pushed out of the way, causing Marco to take the brunt of the hit, sending him flying towards the rocks with a muffled "ow" coming from him.

"Marco!" Star yelled worriedly. Thankfully this worry disappeared when she saw that Marco had created a giant ball of energy that protected him from the impact. Inside it, he had turned his hoodie into a modified version of the armor he used during the Mewberty Incident, minus the helmet.

_Thank corn he's alright_, Star thought before glaring at the creature who for some was still able to maintain a smirk despite its appearance. It then charged at Marco again. This time, Marco dropped his ball shield and slammed his hands on the ground, causing multiple fists to extend from the cave walls and slam right at the Rhino-Crab. The thing just kept charging forward, but the strength of the fists slowed it down long enough for Marco to create a red spring trampoline and jump over to Star.

"What do we do, Star? None of our attacks seem to be working, and I doubt it would give us a chance to look for the scissors," Marco questioned Star as they watched the creature reel from its impact with the wall, shaking its head as it was preparing to charge again.

An idea popped into Star's head before whispering it in Marco's ear who gave her an "are you sure?" look. Star nodded before the two turned to face their enemy.

Meanwhile, the creature was having the time of his life. It had been so long since he found people who were able to last this long against it, let alone make it use several transformations. The people that usually entered his forest were always so pathetic running at the first sign of danger. It always made him laugh his butt off. Even when the Queens of Mewni tried to run him out of the Forest of Certain Death (and he got a hoot of his place being called that), they failed miserably. He either managed to fight them to a standstill or lead them on a wild goose chase. Either way, they didn't bother him again. At least until some new royal thought they were tough enough to take him down. Between the girl and her magic and whatever the boy was doing, though, he was enjoying his first real fight in ages though he couldn't help but wonder what they could possibly be planning.

At that moment, he heard a voice shout from atop a stalactite. "So, big guy, I take it that you're the legendary Monster of the Forest of Certain Death that I've heard so much about." Sure enough, it was the boy from before, effortlessly balancing on top of the rock.

"Well, it looks like my reputation precedes me. What, you want an autograph or something before I kill ya? Oh, or how about a cool selfie?"

"Nah, I was just wondering why you spend all your time hidden in the forest. Unless that lizard suit you were wearing counts as your best look."

The creature narrowed its eyes at this remark. "And just what are you implying, brat?"

"Nothing. I'm just saying if the only other things you can turn into are these interdimensional sideshow attractions, I'd want to hide my face in the woods, too."

Though the creature knew it was a trap, it couldn't help but get ticked off by the boy. So without wasting a second, he immediately charged towards him intent on breaking every bone in his body. Marco just jumped down from his vantage point, smirking as the creature took the bait.

As the rhino-crab continued to charge like a freight train towards Marco, he immediately conjured a sizeable white sheet before sending towards the creature's face blocking its vision as it continued charging "Now Star!" Marco called out to Star, who jumped on a platform Marco created before chanting her spell.

"Mega Mud-Pit Suprise!" A large hole formed in the path of the charging creature who immediately fell into it. Marco saw the creature started changing shape again, but before it could, he sprang into action. Conjuring the biggest anvil he could think of, he then dropped it into the pit, right on top of where the shapeshifter should have been.

When Marco and Star looked into the hole, all that was left was rubble and no sign of the creature. Seeing this, Marco finally sighed in relief as Star walks up next to him with a wide grin.

"I can't believe that plan of yours worked Star," Marco said, which only caused Star's grin to widen even more before gaining a smug look on her face.

"Told ya it would, and yet you doubted me," Star said smugly before the two suddenly heard what sounded like a war cry.

"WAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEE!" Marco and Star turned around to see King Butterfly appeared yelling on a cliff holding a spear and wearing nothing but a loincloth and a bone sticking out of his beard. He jumped from the cliff, ready to challenge any foe that approaches him. "FOUL BEAST, PREPARE TO MEET YOUR-STAR?!?" As soon as River saw his daughter, he came screeching to a halt, coming to a stop in front of Star.

"Uh, I'm gonna go look for the scissors," Marco said, immediately walking away from what was sure to be an argument while Star muttered 'traitor' before looking at River again who had a frown on his face.

"Star, what are you doing here? You know you're not supposed to leave Earth." The King had a very stern look on his face, sterner than Star could remember seeing in a long time.

"Okay, okay! Uh, but the thing is, it's not exactly my fault!" Star said as she tried to come up with an excuse"I was talking to my friend, one thing led to another-it all started with fanny packs!" It became clear that her Dad wasn't buying it, causing her face to become crestfallen. Suddenly, she remembered something. "Wait a minute! Aren't you supposed to be giving some boring lecture?" Star said in an accusing tone causing River to get a nervous look on his face suddenly

"Uh, no!"King River chuckled nervously. "W-We got a little lost, the directions were, it started with fanny packs!" Now it was Star's turn not to buy her Dad's excuses. "uh... *sigh* "There is no lecture." River admitted and jumped onto a rock. "Being King is exhausting. Every once in awhile, I need to sneak away and fight Monsters. it keeps me sane, and it's good for my throne posture."

"So I get my monster-fighting from you, "Star said with a smile. "Cool...Cool!"

"Hey Star, did you get your Dad to buy your excuses yet?"

River then finally noticed Marco, who had just popped out of the rubble, having failed to find the scissors. The King became very concerned at the sight of the boy.

"Sweetie, who..is that boy standing over there?" River asked his voice cold, and his face showing his disapproval of the young man's presence.

Star, though, was oblivious to this. "Oh, duh, that reminds me. I haven't introduced you to Marco yet. Hey Marco, come and meet my Dad!"

Once Marco made his way to where the two Butterflies were, Star then officially introduced her best friend. "Dad, I would like you to meet Marco Diaz, my best friend, and roommate! After he was assigned to be my guide on Earth, he and his Dad were nice enough to let me stay with them. And now, we do everything together!" Star said as she hugged Marco, who could only smile at one of her trademark hugs.

River was not amused. "I see," he said before noticing the BFF necklace his daughter was wearing; and that Marco was wearing an exact copy of it. River then walked up to Marco and looked him straight in the eye. "Marco, was it?"

"Yes, sir." Marco nervously replied. He was smart enough to know that Star's dad would not be happy to see her hanging out with a boy he knew nothing about. The King briefly began to look him over, his gaze hovering back on the necklace, before looking back into his eyes. "And just what are your intentions with my daughter?"

Marco picked up on what he was implying right away and knew that he had to set the record straight. "Intentions? Sir, I don't know what you're thinking about, but it's nothing like that. Star's my best friend. You have nothing to worry about."

River stared at him some more before his gaze softened. "I see. Well then, thank you for looking after my daughter. But just so you know, I will be keeping an eye on you."

Star was watching the whole conversation with confusion. "What are you two talking about?" To which both replied, "Just guy stuff." At that point, Star worked up the nerve to ask her Dad the question she was curious about.

"Are you gonna tell mom you saw us?"She asked sadly

"I didn't see you, and you didn't see me."River replied. "But just this once."

Star hugged King Butterfly, "Hugs!" She said happily

"Farewell."River said with a smile.

The King of Mewni then left the cave, followed by his servants.

Marco walked up to Star, smiling at being able to meet one of Star's parents and the fun trip they had.

"It's cool that you guys bonded, and you got to see that side of your Dad." Marco said with a smile before frowning " Though we should probably get back to looking for the scissors"

"You mean these scissors?" a familiar smug voice spoke from behind and saw that it was the giant lizard from earlier holding the scissor with its tail.

"What, you're still alive?" Star said in disbelief at the amount of punishments this creature was able to take. "I thought that anvil would have at least knocked you out cold"

"Oh no, that was another shapeshifter. His name was 'shit, Sherlock.' First name, 'No.' Anyways, its been a while since I've had so much fun, so here catch" The creature threw the scissors at Marco, who caught it before giving the creature a suspicious look.

"Now, don't give me that look. I was just entertaining myself. And since you two gave me the most fun I've had in a while, I'm gonna let you go. now you two better get going before I **lose my patience**." It said the last portion in a demonic voice, prompting Marco to immediately open a portal before gesturing for Star to enter first. When Marco was about to enter, he felt something land on his hoodie, though when he reached in and felt nothing, he simply shrugged before entering the portal.

* * *

**Back at the Diaz Household**

"Ah home sweet home," Marco said happily as he stepped out of the portal before calling out. "Dad, we're back!"

Hearing no reply, the two went downstairs to the living room and were met with a pleasant surprise, at least for Star. Marco, though, could only groan in response.

"Janna Banana!" Star shouted as she happily greeted the beanie-wearing girl as she sat on their couch. Part of Marco wanted to ask how she even got in there, but then he decided he didn't want to know.

"Hey Janna have you seen my Dad?" Marco asked his beanie wearing friend.

"Your dad? Oh yeah he went shopping for art supplies he said you two were on a trip and told me to make myself at home, so I did." Janna said nonchalantly. "By the way, Star, here you go," Janna gestured to the Spellbook on the coffee table.

"My Spellbook!" Star squealed. "Thank you, Janna! I had meant to get it back from you after Mewberty, but then a lot of other things happened, and with us not being at school today."

"No, it's cool, Star. I was able to take some pretty sweet notes from it with the extra time." Janna said. "By the way, where were you guys, really? They said that you were out sick, but Jackie and I didn't buy it for a second."

"It's a long story," Marco said in a weary tone.

"Yeah, we kind of ditched school so I could take Marco on an impromptu trip to Mewni. Speaking of which", Star said, getting her Wand out, "Marco, I believe that these wind chimes are yours." Star then conjured up the wind chimes from her Wand, which she had stored them in for safekeeping.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about them with everything that happened!"

"So, you guys gonna tell me what you were up to, or I am just going to have to find out the fun way," Janna replied.

"Oh, it's a crazy story, Janna," Star said as she and Marco joined their friend on the couch.

* * *

Later that night, after everyone had gone to sleep, movement could be seen on Marco's hoodie in his closet. After a few seconds, a very familiar small lizard can be seen getting out of it.

"So, this is the Earth dimension?" The lizard spoke in a whisper seeing that Marco was asleep in his bed. "Lit."

"It would be so easy just to kill him right now," the lizard said in an ominous tone before changing into a humanoid wearing a plague doctor costume while observing the sleeping boy. "Especially after what he and his friend did to me" the figure growled, before returning to a chipper tone.

"But I ain't one to hold a grudge, so I think I'll just see what this world is like. After all, it's not every day I get a new playground to mess with" the figure then approached the window before opening it and changing into the shape of an owl-like creature and silently soaring into the moonlit night. As it flew over Echo Creek, it took in all the new sights, sounds, and people that it could potentially mess with.

"Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to like being here."

* * *

**Celestial Journal**

**Light- Celestials are able to use and manipulate an energy that they refer to as Light. This light can be used to shape physical construct such as fists or tendrils to attack their enemies or form a shield to protect themselves. It can also be projected as an energy beam that can obliterate an object if powerful enough.**

* * *

**Chapter notes:****So what do you guys think of the OC? I took inspiration for his personality from Janna along with Bill Cipher from Gravity falls. He will be a recurring character for the story as I got something planned for him in the future. Oh and his name is Al though it's not mentioned yet in the story.**

**Anyways let me guys know what you think of the chapter as well as the story so far. As well as if you have any questions.**

**Also before I forget. Usually when me and my editor uses references for the story we leave it to you readers to determine what those references are however because of Al's shapeshifting powers he will be an exception so I will name the creature he used in the story and where I got them from so that in case he uses them again in the future you already know who they are(normal animals are exempted obviously)**

**Creatures that Al shapeshifted into:**

**Buglizard-the giant lizard Al turned into(from ben 10 omniverse)**

**Crabdozer-the rock like rhino with crab features(from ben 10 omniverse)**

**Bruni-the tiny salamander Al used when he greeted Star and Marco(from frozen 2)**

**There you go and now for some review responses.**

**OMAC001- don't worry I have a second OC coming for season1 that will aid Marco and Star in their future adventures. you already know him though.**

**Starco4everr- I'm glad you liked it.**

**MaskedFreak- thank you. A happy easter to you too(I know it's belated) hope you stay safe from the virus along with everyone else.**

**See guys next chapter for Brittney's party!**

**I should really put my review responses at the start before each chapter.**

**Rothem Out!**

**Peace!**


	17. Brittney's party part1

It had been a week since the events of the Blood Moon Ball and Star and Marco's trip to Mewni, but the two teens' lives have finally returned to normal. The two had gone back to school (after making sure Star's spell would keep Marco's cracks hidden) to find that Star remained as popular as ever. In fact, with rumors going around about her standing up some "demon prince," everyone thought she was cooler than ever.

Not that Star ever cared about popularity or that sort of thing. She just liked being around so many nice people who appreciated her penchant for magical chaos and fun. Which was why Star had a huge grin on her face as she walked the school hallways as students eagerly said hi.

"*gasp* There she is!"

"Hey, Star!"

"Hi, Star Butterfly!"

"What's goin' on, girl?"

One boy came up saying, "Hey Star, want to be my lab partner?" He then dropped a beaker he was holding by accident, making it shatter with a small explosion.

Star chuckled happily and answered, "Sure thing, friend."

"Hey Star, I baked you a pie!" A chubby girl said while proudly holding out a freshly baked pie. Star smiled at her before answering.

"All right." As Star answered, another boy leaped out and ate the whole pie in one gulp.

"Star, I ate the pie." He said proudly as the girl looked on troubled by what happened.

"I knew you would." She continued on high fiving the two as they put their hands up.

She then stopped near a brown-eyed brunette with big glasses, braces, and a pink shirt with a yellow star. This was StarFan13 (which she somehow legally made her name), Star's self-proclaimed biggest fan. She'd gone so far as to make a devil's headband out of ice cream cones and painted hearts on her cheeks to match Star.

"Star, I wallpapered my lock with pictures of you," the superfan said in a giddy tone as she opened her locker to show off pictures all over the interior.

"That's weird..."Star replied and opened her locker, revealing pictures of StarFan13. "Because I wallpapered my locker with pictures of you!"

"Yeah!" the two girls said while high-fiving each other happily. The two parted with Star seeing another person run-up to her.

"Star! Star! Oh, please zap me! Please, please, please!"

"Oh yeah!" Star then used her wand to zap the kid, turning him into a two-headed piñata.

"Gracias, Star! No wonder everyone's your amigo!" the now piñata kid said, happy with his transformation.

"Aw, thanks" Star then walks away.

"Olé!" the kid happily said before a banner appeared behind him that reads "¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!" causing him to get a nervous look as Janna, Lars, and along with some other kids appeared with bats.

"Oh yeah, hit him!" one of the Awesome Opossum players holding a bat said.

As Star walked away from the sound of bat strikes in the distance, she came across a line. "Ooh, a line! I love lines!"She said happily, hopping up and down a little before looking at a very nervous girl that Star recognized as Sabrina, a member of the cheerleading squad. "Why are we in line?"

"Only for the most important social event of the year!" the girl replied while pointing up. "Brittney Wong's birthday party!"

Star looked up to a blimp that reads "BRITTNEY WONG'S BIRTHDAY PARTY!" before switching to read "NO LOSERS ALLOWED!"

"Ooh!"Star said with a curious smile. She then saw a girl who Star recognized as Brittney from the football game a while back. Brittney was out of her cheerleader outfit and in a white blouse with a lilac sweater vest and a darker purple skirt. She was handing out invitations, but only to people, she deemed as cool. Which basically meant only the members of the cheerleading squad or those already under her thumb.

When Brittney got to the kid who ate the pie earlier, she scoffs in disgust, "Blah, No!"

"You're right, I wouldn't invite me either," he said sadly before walking away. Brittney then walked up to the girl in front of Star, who, at this point, was whimpering in fear of not being invited.

"Yes," Brittney said while handing the very nervous Sabrina an invitation causing her to squeal in delight, "I'm in! I'm in! I'm-in-I'm-in-I'm-in-I'm-in...!" Sabrina sighed happily before passing out.

When Brittney walked up to Star, though, she scoffed, seeing how Star had her hands out for an invitation "Pfft! Ew, Star Butterface? You are invited when pigs fly!" She said before obnoxiously laughing at her joke. However, it said laughter was short when the blonde-haired princess used her wand to create a flying pig causing Brittney to gasp in shock.

"Problem solved," Star said proudly.

"Anything for you, Star," the flying pig said only for Brittney to groan before trying to swat the pig away.

"Flying pig don't need this," it snorted before flying away.

"Well, Brittney, I believe you owe me an invitation," Star said with a hint of smugness in her tone as she had her hand out for an invitation.

Brittney scowled. Ever since Star had come to Echo Creek Academy from "Moo-ni" or whatever it was called, Brittney had felt nothing but irritation towards Star Butterfly. Between her happy-go-lucky attitude, freakish powers, and cute looks, she had quickly become one of the most popular people in school. Something that Queen Bee Brittney couldn't stand. As much as she hated the girl, though, Brittney realized that not inviting her would make everyone hate her for holding a grudge against Star.

Swallowing her pride, Brittney angrily handed her an invitation. "You're lucky that I keep my word. And you'd better not be dressed prettier than me!" Brittney then proceeded to stomp away from the girl, already angry that she'd have to have her party host the biggest threat to her popularity.

Star, though, took no notice to Brittney's dislike of her, as she looked at the invitation she received with an excited smile. "I should tell Marco so we can go together. Ooh, and it's going to be on a Party Bus!" Star said as she made her way to look for her best friend.

After looking around, Star was finally able to find Marco, who seemed to be having a conversation with Jackie by his locker, with the girl holding the hoverboard Marco got for her in her arms.

_Marco is such a good friend. I'm surprised that he doesn't already have a girlfriend,_ Star thought as she got close enough to hear what the two friends were talking about.

"So Marco, Janna told me that she got a new pet the other day," Jackie said, earning a look of suspicion from Marco.

"She did? Janna didn't steal it from the zoo again, did she?" Marco asked skeptically. A few years ago, Janna had somehow managed to steal an animal from the zoo and tried keeping it as a pet. Thankfully, the Echo Creek Zoo didn't have her arrested on the condition that she be banned for life. She had the newspaper of the incident framed in her room as a badge of pride.

"Nah, she said she lost interest in that place a while ago. According to her, she was poking around in a monster truck graveyard when she found it sleeping around some old car parts. I'm pretty sure she's exaggerating, but she said that it's this giant bird-thing that can swallow someone in one bite." Jackie chuckled with Marco doing the same.

"Yeah, even if it was true, how the heck did Janna even tame it much less keep it as a pet? Then again, this is Janna we're talking about. I'm not even entirely sure she's human." Marco said before noticing Star walking over to them with an excited look on her face.

"Marco! Marco! Guess what?!" Star said excitedly while jumping up and down repeatedly causing Jackie to laugh at this

"Uh, what is it?" Marco asked, wondering what got Star very excited and more so than usual.

"Brittney Wong invited me to her Birthday party!" Star practically shouted while showing her two friends the invitation that she got earning a surprised look from the two.

"She did?" Both Marco and Jackie asked at the same time

"Yep!" the blonde girl said while showing off her invitation. "Isn't that awesome?"

"That's great, Star. At least now I'll have someone fun to talk to at the party." Jackie said before pulling out the invitation she got from Brittney, causing Star's smile to widen even more(if that was still possible) before giving Jackie a hug, which she returned happily.

"This is amazing, Jackie!" Star said happily before looking to Marco, who still had a dumbfounded look on his face.

Before Marco could remark on the fact that Brittney hated Star's guts, Star turned to him. "What about you, Marco? Did you get invited too?" Star asked, expectantly causing Marco to tense up and start sweating.

"W-what o-of course not why would I be invited. And even if I were invited, why on Earth would I want to go?" the boy said nervously, earning a look of suspicion from Star. However, before she could question him, they heard the familiar voice of none other than their beanie-wearing friend, Janna, who was still carrying the bat she had used to beat the kid that Star turned into a piñata along with some sort of bag in her other hand.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Janna greeted her friends nonchalantly before noticing the invitations in Star and Jackie's hand. "I see, so it's today, huh?" the girl said as a mischievous smirk decorated her face before looking at Marco, who almost jumped in place at the look Janna gave him. He then silently shook his head and waved his arms as if to say, please don't, Janna! But he already knew it was a lost cause.

"So, Marco, I take it you already got your invitation then?" Janna said, never losing the smirk on her face as Marco began to look around nervously. He tried to avoid meeting the gaze of any of his friends, especially Star, who now had a surprised and hurtful look on her face.

"Marco, I thought you said you didn't get an invite. Were you lying to me? I thought we agreed not to lie to each other?" Star said while giving him the saddest look she could muster.

"What? Pfft Of course not why would I lie about something like that" Marco said, trying to sound nonchalant but only ended up sounding panicked instead.

"Yeah, Marco, I thought you two don't lie to each other," Janna added in a smug tone causing Marco to glare at her for the unhelpful comment. Meanwhile, Jackie was watching the exchange with an amused look.

After a few seconds, Marco finally broke and sighed his head in defeat. "All right, Star, you got me," he said before pulling out a familiar purple envelope. "I was invited. By Brittney." Star gasped before squealing in delight at the fact that her best friend got invited. Then she realized that the boy lacked any enthusiasm on his face.

"What's with the long face, Marco? It's a party, what's not to like? There's games, gifts, cake," Star said as she continued listing everything a party had with her fingers to emphasize how awesome parties were. However, she was interrupted when Marco spoke up.

"Well, usually, I would at least be a little bit excited when I get invited to a party, but... this is Brittney we're talking about."

"What do you mean?" Star asked, visibly confused.

"Star, Brittney's not exactly the nicest girl there is. She's what most of us refer to as an 'alpha bitch,'" Marco explained. "She's the kind of person who doesn't like threats to her power and status, and I'm pretty sure you count as one ever since the Football Incident." Marco still remembered how one of the creatures Star created almost ate Brittney.

"Pfft, no way she gave me an invite, didn't she?" Star said while showing the invite she got.

"And you didn't do 'anything' to get her to give you an invite?" Marco narrowed his eyes, not believing that Star got an invite without doing anything.

"Well, she said I'm invited when pigs fly, so that's what I did," the blonde-haired princess said proudly. Marco just gave her an 'I thought so' look while Jackie and Janna simply chuckled at this.

"What about you, Marco? How did you get invited?" Star asked, catching Marco off-guard with her question.

"Uhh... You see..*Sigh* I don't actually know why."

"Huh? What do you mean you don't know? Surely there's a reason why." At this point, Jackie finally interjected much to Marco's relief.

"It's true, Star. He doesn't know why he gets invited. Marco's not a very popular kid in school. Plus, having the nickname of 'safe kid' doesn't help. No offense Marco" Jackie said while giving Marco a sheepish smile.

As if on cue, one of the football players walked by and greeted the group, "Hey Jackie, Hey Star, Hey Safe Kid."

Marco could only groan in annoyance at his unwanted nickname in school. "Seriously, it was just one time people! one time!" Marco shouted in an annoyed tone. Thankfully, students walking down the hall, along with the football players, ignored his outburst, while his friends simply laughed at this in amusement.

Janna, however, simply snickered at this before speaking, "Yeah, it's a real mystery. Marco gets invited all the time."

"What do you mean?" Star asked.

"Well, you already know that only the coolest people, along with members of the cheerleading squad, and anyone that has earned her favor, get invited to Brittney's party, right?" Janna asked for confirmation to which Star nodded, "Well, Marco seems to be an exception to this."

"Huh?" Star got a confused look. Janna then nudged at Marco, who continued the explanation.

"You see, Star, every year since we were kids, for reasons that I cannot comprehend, Brittney finds me and invites me to her birthday party. Even when I try to say no, she refuses to listen. So every year, I come up with some dumb excuse why I can't go, and Jackie has to go with my gift for her." Jackie nods her head as Marco finishes his story, confirming what her friend was saying was true.

Star gasped at this. "Marco! It's a party, why would you not go?! And an important one at that, at least based on what I heard!"

"Look Star, if you want to go to this party, then go ahead cause I'm not going, especially since it's a party bus. I get motion sickness." Marco said with finality as he pockets his invitation with Star pouting at this.

Trying to change the topic, Jackie glanced at the bag Janna was holding, "Hey Janna, what's in the bag, by the way?"

Janna smirks at Jackie's question, "Oh nothing just a little something I got." She then opened the bag revealing it to be filled with lots of candy. "You guys want some?" the beanie-wearing girl said while offering the bag of candy she was holding to her friends.

"Wow," Star said as the sheer amount of candy her friend was holding pulled her out of her pouting. Without hesitation, Star grabbed a handful from the bag with Jackie doing the same. Marco, however, was skeptical. "You didn't steal this, did you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Of course not," Janna said nonchalant unfazed at the accusation.

"Hmm," Marco shrugged before picking up a piece of candy. After removing its wrapper, he tasted the sweet treat before putting it in his mouth.

"Oh wow, Janna, this is really good," Marco said, savoring the delicious candy. "Where did you get this?" Marco then reached in for another piece before removing its wrapper and eating it.

"Oh, you know, from that kid that Star turned into a piñata earlier," Janna said before smirking as she watched her friends get a horrified look except for Star, who doesn't seem to care while Marco immediately spit out his candy into a nearby trash can.

"Oh my God, we committed cannibalism," Marco said, panicking. Jackie, though, nervously swallowed the candy in her mouth, not wanting to waste it. Star, all the while, swallowed the candy with a satisfied look before grabbing more from the bag not caring where it came from

"What happened to the kid after you, you know?" Jackie said while gesturing to the bat Janna was holding.

"Don't worry about it after we beat him he turned back to normal though he got bruised all over" Janna said not caring that she literally beat a kid up with a bat

"You know what I think I got enough jannanigans for today. Let's go, Star," Marco said before leaving.

"I'm gonna get him to go to that party," Star said to the two girls while grabbing another handful of candy before following after Marco.

"Good luck with that, Star!" Jackie called out to her blonde friend. She then looked over to her friend Janna who was now munching on some of the candy she got.

"Really, Janna? you're not even a little bothered by that?" the skater girl asked in a deadpan tone to which Janna simply shrugged nonchalantly

* * *

Star and Marco were now making their way home for some reason though Star insisted on walking instead of using the scissors; however, Marco paid no attention to this as his mind was recalling an incident from earlier this morning.

**Flashback**

Marco was walking down the hall, making his way towards the next class. All of a sudden he was roughly pulled into an empty and unused classroom

He looked up and saw one of the last people he ever wants to be alone with, Brittney Wong, who had an angry look on her face.

"Brittney? What are you-" Marco began to protest but was immediately interrupted by the angry girl in front of him.

"Shut up, Barfo, and just take this!" Brittney then roughly shoved something into Marco's hands before immediately leaving.

Marco then looked down at the object Brittney shoved into his hands. After realizing what it was, he simply sighed.

"Well, I guess it's today again, I should probably get a present and have Jackie give it to her as usual," the young hybrid said to himself before pocketing the invite he got and proceeding to make his way towards his next class before the bell rang.

**Flashback Over**

Marco was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Star, who was walking alongside him, speak up.

"Sooo, Marco, I heard Brittney's party is supposedly one of the most important social events of the year," Star said nonchalantly while trying to look like she doesn't care however Marco was almost instantly able to pick up on what she's trying to get at

_She really couldn't be any more subtle_, Marco thought in amusement before responding to what his bestie said. "Is that so? I didn't know" he said playing dumb to what Star was trying to do

"Uh-huh, they say some would die just to get an invite to her party" Star responded before thinking on how she could get Marco to go to the party with her though she immediately stopped when she saw that Marco had stopped walking and was now giving her a strange look "Uh what's with the look, Marco?"

"Really, Star? You couldn't be subtler than that?" Marco said with amusement in his tone.

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about, Marco." Star said managing to hide the nervousness and panic in her tone at being instantly called out on her plan while avoiding eye contact with Marco.

"Look Star I appreciate that you want me to go to the party with you, but I'm not really much of a party person," Marco said to which Star immediately answered no longer trying to hide what she was after

"But Marco, it's a partyyyy. you have to come!" Star said in a pleading tone while blocking off Marco's path

"No Star and that- wait, what are you doing? Seeing what Star was doing, Marco got a horrified look " No anything but that Star!"

"Please, Marco, Do it for your bestie," Star said while she unleashed Marco's kryptonite: her sad puppy dog eyes. In the time since they met, Marco had never been able to say no to her when she looked like a puppy about to cry.

"Nooo, must resist" Marco was trying to avert his gaze. Unfortunately, he was unable to do so. He couldn't look away from her big bright ocean blue eyes. When he tried to take a step back, Star would take a step forward not giving him a chance to look away.

_Come on, Marco. You are Marco Ubaldo Diaz. You fight Monsters on a daily basis! You beat the hellfire out of a demon prince! You're half-Celestial for crying out loud! You. Can. RESIST THIS!_

After a few more seconds of helpless struggling, the Latino boy finally gave in, "Alright, I'll go to this stupid party!"

"Really? Yay!" Hearing this, Star finally stopped using her puppy dog eyes much to Marco's relief.

"Please, Star. Never do that again." Marco said while panting as if the sole act of looking into Star eyes from earlier was enough to tire him out. The blonde simply giggled at this before making her way home excited for the upcoming party later that night.

_Dang it. I'm gonna have to skip dinner for this,_ Marco thought as he followed Star.

* * *

Later that night, Star was now in her room, waiting for Marco to finish with his gift for the party. When Star asked him what he would be making, he said that it doesn't matter since Brittney would probably throw it away anyway.

Star was now wearing a plaited magenta skirt with suspenders and light purple hearts around the purple bottom edge, white lace on the bottom of the skirt, and a light pink dress shirt with poofy sleeves and green striped leggings. She was also wearing shoes with wings on the side.

She then conjured a present with her wand. What it contained, she had no idea.

"So I see you managed to convince Marco to go, huh?" a familiar voice spoke out.

Star turned around to see Janna was casually lounging on her bed while using her phone.

"Oh, hi, Janna! What are you doing here?" Star greeted her friend happily

"Just hanging out cause I got nothing to do at home. And with Marco going to the party, I won't be able to get him to give me his invite," Janna explained while not averting her gaze from what she was doing on her phone.

"Why would you want his invite?" Star asked

"To prank Brittney, of course," the beanie-wearing girl said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You know how every year Marco would get invited only for him to bail? Well, I may or may not end up taking his invite just to mess with the rich girl at her party."

"Ooooh. Well, I should probably go get Marco. I don't wanna miss the party bus" Star was about to leave her room when she heard her friend speak up again. "Hey Star, I've meant to ask you something."

This caused Star to stop and turned around to face Janna, who got up from her bed. "What is it, Janna?" the princess said in a confused tone, wondering what Janna would want to ask from her. A spell, perhaps?

"Ok, so remember when we went to Quest Buy and I got my Uphone?" Star nodded. "Ok, so I decided to search up the universe's most dangerous creatures. You know, just for laughs and curiosity. But I came upon this one weird creature that I can't get my mind off of. Mostly because it was classified as the most dangerous one there is," Janna said though there was a bit of excitement and seriousness in her tone something Star wasn't familiar with.

"Uh, what creature is that, Janna?" Star asked, but for some reason, she had a bad feeling about this

"Do you know anything about Celestials?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Marco was putting the finishing touches on the gift before putting it in a gift box.

"*Sigh* Why am I even putting so much effort into this? She'll just throw it away." The boy then put the gift onto a nearby table before looking at himself in a mirror. "Oops, almost forgot my hoodie" As soon as Marco turned around he came face to face with Glossaryck

"Hello," the little blue man greeted Marco nonchalantly.

"Gah!!! What are you doing here?!" Due to Glossaryck catching him off guard, Marco was now on the floor sitting on his butt. The boy then proceeded to get up and make his way to the closet to get his hoodie choosing to ignore the little blue man.

"Now, you ignoring me is just hurting my feelings. At least it would if I had any." Glossaryck said while following Marco, who groaned at this.

"What do you want, Glossaryck? more pudding?" Marco said before creating a cup of pudding in his hand which Glossaryk immediately took and somehow pocketed(don't ask)

"No, of course not though I do appreciate it."

"Then what do you want? I still have to go get Star, so we don't miss the party bus. I had to skip dinner for it, you know," Marco said while putting on his hoodie.

"I was just curious what you plan to do now that you've told Star about your secret"

This statement shocked Marco. "W-What how did you even know about that?"

"I'm her teacher. It's my job to know" Glossaryk said in a smug tone. Somehow, Marco seemed to relax at this, remembering how Glossaryck kept his secret about Mewberty in the first place.

"Well, regarding your question, I don't plan to do anything." the boy answered. "I knew I was taking the risk of driving Star away when I told her the truth, but if I hadn't, she would have ended our friendship right then and there. I had no choice, really."

"Is that so?" Glossaryck answered while giving Marco a strange look

"What's with the look?"

"Nothing It's just that you know there are people far more dangerous than Ludo and his goons. You know, I thought you would at least be trying to make yourself stronger should you come across these people. Especially after your whole stunt at the Blood Moon Ball." Marco then got a horrfied look on his face remembering the incident himself

"Take a look for yourself, kid" Glossaryk then pulled out from his robe some sort of compact mirror. In the mirror, a video of Marco beating Tom was being played, causing the former to start sweating nervously.

"But don't sweat it, kid, your identity was hidden thanks to technology or whatever. Last time I checked, though, it was trending like crazy. Anyway, just a little friendly warning. See ya" Glossaryck floated out of the room, leaving Marco alone as he sat in a chair, thinking about what Glossaryck said though he was immediately pulled out of his thought when the door was kicked open by none other than Star Butterfly, who still hadn't learned her lesson about kicking down doors. Marco decided to ignore it for now, though, seeing the excited look on his friend's face.

"Sheesh, someone's excited," Marco said, deciding to forget what Glossaryk said from earlier for now.

"Well, duh, the party bus is here!" Star said excitedly. Marco then looked outside the window. True to what she said, the party bus was now in front of their front yard waiting.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," Marco said while walking out the door with an excited Star following after him. Though he couldn't help but think about what Glossaryck said

_He's right; I need to get stronger. For now, though, I should focus on the party, Marco thought as he and Star approached the party bus eager to get this night over with without trouble._

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:

**Hey guys ROTHEM here back with another chapter. First of all I would like to apologize for the story taking longer than usual to update and since it's also shorter than usual. I'm gonna stop leaving notes from the celestial journal in the story as I will instead mention their entries in the story instead of at the end chapter notes**

**Anyway I think I need to let you readers know about the pairing for the story though based on the title I think it's pretty obvious. That's right it's Starco and the second pairing is Jantom yay. Regarding on how the pairing will happen well to be honest I'm not sure since writing drama and romance is not my area of expertise when it comes to writing heck I had to ask help from the wandering hippie for the dramatic scene in revelations. Hopefully by the time I reach season 2 of the story(that's where the pairing will take place sometime during the season) I already have by then a clear idea as for now the idea I got is vague(not that vague) Welp that's all I have to say for now see ya next chapter**

**Oh here's the review responses by the way:**

**OMAC001- Don't worry you'll be seeing more of him in the future**

**Starco4everr- thanks**

**sonavelkovskaa5842- thank you that's great to hear**

**Kraven the Hunter- not exactly. but they're part of the reason it was made**

**Marble123- glad you like it**

**Masked Freak- if he ever did that it would be to give them nightmares. don't worry about it I'm the type of guy who doesn't mind spoilers for movies**

**Lord of the Storm- it is great to know that the author of one of my favorite stories like my story.**

**See you guys at part 2 and as usual reviews and criticisms are appreciated**

**Rothem Out!**

**Peace!**


	18. Brittney's party part2

As Star made her way to the front door with Marco right behind her, the blonde Princess thought back to the conversation she had with Janna.

***Flashback***

"Do you know anything about Celestials?"

The moment those words left, Janna's mouth Star immediately froze up. Of all the questions Star thought Janna would ask, this was the last one she expected. She was shocked, confused, and her mind was racing through so many questions:

_Oh, Corn! Does she suspect Marco?!_

_Why would she ask me that?!_

_This is really bad!_

_What else does she know?_

As Star continued to mentally freak out, Janna picked up on this. Instead of calling her out on it, though, she just took out her U-Phone and pulled up that page she found on the Celestials. They were worshipped across the universe, so she figured that Star might know something about them.

_Too bad Earth wasn't one of those planets, Janna thought._

"Hey, Princess, if you're done trying to wrack your brain, here. I got some visual aids for reference." Janna then showed the blurry image of the Celestials from that website. Seeing how Star calmed down right away, Janna immediately realized that her friend knew something.

"So, is this what you were talking about, Janna?" Star asked. "Yep. Found them on this website listing the most dangerous creatures in the universe, and these guys were at the very top. Unlike the rest of the entries, though, there's next to nothing on these guys," Janna replied as she typed something into her U-Phone. "By the way, that's also why I borrowed your Spellbook." Star's eyes widened as Janna continued. "Unfortunately, I found nothing. And that little blue guy who lives in that house in the book wouldn't say anything, which brings me back to you. So, you know anything, or is this another dead end?"

After Janna finished talking, Star felt a wave of relief wash over her.

_Phew for a moment there, I thought Janna was on to Marco. As his bestie, it's my job to keep his secret,_ Star declared mentally with her usual enthusiasm. Star then answered Janna with nonchalant, albeit nervous, tone.

"Celestials? Pfft, why would you think I know anything about them? I'm not exactly a... what did Marco call them again? something about a worm in a book?"

"Bookworm?" Janna answered

"That's the one! If a Unet webpage doesn't have any information on those things, then what makes you think I have any?" Star finished with a slightly nervous expression. Despite her attempt to seem calm and ignorant, it ended up being worried and panicked, which, as usual, Janna was able to notice. (She's Janna, after all. For all we know, she may be aware of what the author's writing right now!)

As evidenced by the look she was getting from Janna, it was clear that she wasn't buying anything. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Janna simply shrugged.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll leave you to it. I don't wanna take up your time." Star gave her a confused look as she watched Janna make her way towards the door before pointing towards Star's window.

When Star took a look at the window, she gasped "The party bus is here! Pegasus Feathers, I have to get Marco" Star ran past Janna but stopped when she spoke up.

"Welp, see ya at the party, Star."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Janna said with a smirk as she walked away with a single thought. **After all, I still have to find out what you're hiding.**

Star was too busy thinking of going to get Marco before the bus left without them.

***Flashback Over***

Star was now bouncing with excitement in front of the doors of the party bus. Right next to her was a very unenthusiastic Marco who just wanted to get the night over with. Seeing the look on his face, Star tried to get him at least a little excited about the party.

"Come on, Marco, it's a party. You should at least show a bit more excitement," Star said before doing a pouty face. Normally, this got Marco to relent almost as much as the puppy dog eyes. This time, though, Marco wouldn't budge, having no problem letting his bestie know that he seriously didn't want to attend this party.

_Seriously, I'd rather get into a fight with the sentinels at Quest Buy again than attend this stupid party_, the hybrid boy thought in frustration though he was able to keep himself from showing it. For Star's sake, he decided to at least look happy and hope she wouldn't catch on.

"*Sigh* Let's just get this over with Star," he said before forcing a totally fake smile.

"That's more like it!" Star said happily. She was too happy to figure out that Marco was faking his smile.

As soon as they entered the bus, Marco did a double-take when he saw who was sitting in the driver's seat. It was none other than their friend Janna Ordonia, now wearing what appeared to be an outfit similar to conductors of the wild west days. It consisted of a white undershirt with a pink tie under a black suit jacket, connected by gold buttons, black business shoes, and a black conductor's hat. She also had a thick pair of shades, and as usual, had a smirk on her face though this time it was due to the dumbfounded look Marco was making. Star, who was initially surprised by this, was able to snap out of it instantly.

"Sup Guys," Janna greeted the two nonchalantly as she tipped her hat though for some reason her voice sounded different. It sounded more like a guy's voice with a Scottish accent

"Janna!? I can't believe you're here! And why does your voice sound different?" Star said happy to see her friend at the party even though she shouldn't be driving, even if she had a license! Janna then pointed to what appeared to some sort of chip attached to her neck before speaking again in her different voice "Voice modulator it helps people change their voice and before you ask I got it from Quest Buy."

Marco, however, decided not to question how she could have gotten it from quest buy when she doesn't have dimensional scissors and instead chose to call her out on being on the driver's seat "Janna, where's the real driver and what did you do to him?" Marco questioned with his arms crossed while shooting the beanie-wearing girl an accusing look.

"What are you talking about, Marco? I am the driver," Janna announced proudly while pointing to her hat.

"Oh yeah? Then where's your license?" Marco said with a hint of smugness. Not even Janna could get away with a fake license when she wasn't old enough to drive. That smug look immediately morphed into a dumbfounded one when the girl in front of him pulled out a driver's license from her pocket and showed it to him.

"B-but how, your not even supposed to have a...wait a minute.. give me that!" Marco said before snatching the license out of the girl's hand with a resounding protest of "Hey!" from her. After inspecting Janna's supposed driver's license, Marco got an incredulous look on his face.

"This is a fake license!" Marco announced. It had Janna's picture on it but a completely different name and state of origin: Trover Phillips from Oregon.

Janna grabbed the license back from Marco before pocketing it again. "Look, Marco, you could either waste time arguing with Janna, the bus driver, or would you rather just get the night over with. Your choice," Janna finished with a smug tone though there was some annoyance to it.

Marco considered his choices. He could either continue arguing with Janna, which he knew would be a complete waste of time and result in him pulling some of his hair out. And the last time he did that, it took him all weekend to will it back into existence. That was not a fun weekend.

"Just...don't drive the bus into a ditch at least, ok, Janna?" Marco said in a defeated tone.

"You have my word," Janna did a mock salute. "Now get in there ya party animals" She gestured to the tinted glass behind her, which thankfully masked his conversation(more like nagging) with Janna, so none of the people on the other side witnessed it.

"Yeah, Marco, stop nagging Janna and let's join the party!" said Star, who had been observing the conversation in front her quietly (which was a feat itself for a hyperactive girl like her) decided that she couldn't wait any longer. As she prepared to kick the glass door open though, thankfully, Marco stopped her from doing so.

"Woah woah woah Star, I know you're excited, but I don't think you should kick this particular door down since, you know? It's made of glass?" Marco said while blocking the door with his body to stop Star from kicking it down as she usually does, all the while Janna was snickering at what was going on.

"Oh right-right-right, so do you mind?" Star said while gesturing to the door with visible excitement and a wide grin on her face, which widens as Marco proceeded to open the door.

As soon as the two entered, Marco saw everyone was talking amongst themselves in groups. He even saw Brittney was talking with some of the other members of the cheerleading squad. So far, no one had noticed them yet until the door behind them was suddenly slammed shut by Janna(who can be heard chuckling from the other side), drawing every other person's attention in the room to Star and Marco, causing the boy to facepalm.

Marco noticed Brittney, who was now also looking at them, had a scowl on her face upon seeing Star. However, when her gaze landed on him for a brief moment, he swore that he saw her smile. _It's like she's happy that I came to her party... Nah, probably just my imagination,_ the hybrid boy dismissed the thought as he watched Brittney approach them with a scowl that was more directed to an oblivious Star.

"Star Butterface took you long enough, and here I was hoping you wouldn't show up to my party," Brittney said in a mocking tone which Marco forced himself to not scowl at her for doing so before hearing Star greeted her in her usual cheerful tone. "Oh, hi, Brittney!" Star presented her present to the rich girl, "Happy Birthday, by the way!" It made Marco wonder if Star didn't know Brittney didn't like her or just didn't care.

As Star presented her present to Brittney, the girl grabbed it with a small growl and then just carelessly tossed it to the table with the others. Marco could have sworn he heard a whimper coming out of it but chose to ignore it.

"Here's my present, by the way," Marco said in a neutral tone as he handed his present to Brittney, who accepted it. Marco expected Brittney to toss his present just as she did with Star but was a bit surprised with what she did. Instead of tossing it she instead walked over to the table(there was a small bounce to her steps) which had the other presents and placed it carefully alongside the rest, and once again Marco noticed her smile for a brief moment before it was replaced with a scowl as she walked past the two and opened the glass door a little before shouting.

"Driver! Get this bus moving immediately!" the rich girl shouted, after what sounded like shuffling on the other side a familiar modulated voice responded "Aye aye captain" causing Marco and Star to snicker knowing who the voice came from until they saw Brittney face them with an annoyed look "And you two!" She then gestured to the rest of the people on the bus. "Get seated with the rest of the guests," she said with a surprisingly friendly tone this time.

Marco then looked around, trying to find Jackie since she said that she also got an invite. After looking around for a bit, his eyes finally landed on Jackie, who was currently talking to someone. When Marco saw who it was, he heard Star gasp right next to him.

"Oh, my corn Marco! Oskar's here!" Star said excitedly while roughly shaking Marco over and over

"I can see that, Star," Marco responded after Star finally stopped shaking him. Unfortunately, he ended up feeling a little bit sick because of it. He then saw Jackie and Oskar wave at them, with the former giggling having seen what was going on_. Thank God I skipped dinner. Otherwise, it would have been the grade school incident all over again_, Marco thought. He had finally worked up the nerve to talk to Jackie but got so nervous that he wound up throwing up and running away. He spent weeks with the nickname "Barfo Diaz." His not-so-fond memories came to a halt when he felt Star drag him to their two friends.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Somewhere in the town of Echo Creek, the roof a building could be seen illuminated by the moonlight. All of a sudden, a thick purple fog suddenly began materializing out of thin air, gathering in a large amount on a rooftop. After a few seconds, it then coalesced into a portal

"Aaahh, the Earth Dimension. One of my favorite place in the entire multiverse" a woman voice could be heard from the portal before a figure emerged from it "You know it's been a while since we've been here isn't that right Kiri?" the figure said in a bubbly and cheerful tone with an equally cheerful smile on her face.

The figure in question appears to be a young woman with fair colored skin and black-colored eyes. She wore what appeared to be a white hooded cloak with golden linings that covered the top of her head, not letting a single strand of her hair be shown, a leather belt and gold buckle, with red-violet colored pointed boots. Underneath the cloak were crimson-colored clothes. She also appears to have golden bands on her arms.

"I agree, my love," a deep booming voice seemingly replied from the vortex, which suddenly began dissipating little by little. Eventually, the dark fog has completely dissipated, and standing in its place was what appeared to be a suit of armor.

The armor had a tall and slender appearance and was pitch black in color. On its knees and elbows were what appeared to be fierce and sinister mask-like designed pads that seemed to be emitting dark, purple mists. The armor also appeared to be covered in yellow runic symbols all over it, except for its helmet, which had a sinister demon-like appearance, purple horns on each side, with slanted glowing yellow eyes, and an opening that resembles a sinister-looking mouth with sharp teeth. Like the elbow and knee pads, was also emitting dark, purple mists

"Though I still don't understand why you love it so much here," the armored being known as Kiri asked as he walked near the edge of the rooftop and took in its surroundings.

The cloaked woman then walked over and stood beside him and took a look at the surroundings as well before answering.

"I just like it," the woman said in a nostalgic tone before her nostalgic expression morphed into that of a serious one "So what did the boss want us to do?" the woman questioned her companion.

"He wanted us to cause a little accident to get the boy to use his powers. This will also serve to convince the other members that the boy truly does possess it." The armored being answered while his gaze never left whatever he was looking at.

"Hmm. Well then if that's the case, we'll just have to wait here for now." the woman said in a cheerful tone before her companion materialized what looked like a chair using the dark fog seeping from its helmet behind the woman who gladly accepted it "Thanks Kiri," the woman said as she took a seat on the chair while her companion chose to simply stand.

* * *

**Back at the Party Bus**

Star and Marco were now standing in front of Jackie and Oskar.

"Hey guys, glad to see you two could make it. For a moment, I thought Marco was going to bail as usual," Jackie said, which earned a chuckle from both Oskar and Star, with Marco smiling sheepishly.

"Well, I was going to bail, but a certain princess forced me to come," Marco said while playfully glaring at Star, who simply smiled sheepishly before sitting next Oskar while Marco decided to sit next to Jackie. "She gave me the puppy eyes. The greatest weapon in her arsenal."

"Well no wonder she got you to come then. You were never exactly able to resist them in the first place dude" Jackie said before chuckling along with Marco who then spoke to Oskar

"So Oskar, I didn't know you get invited to Brittney's party," Marco said to his keytar playing friend.

"Well, this is actually my first-time man," Oskar answered, which caused Star to gasp at this while Marco simply got a surprised look since he never actually cares who gets invited to Brittney's party.

"What! But you're like one of the coolest kids at cool, especially with your Keytar and all!" Star said not able to believe that this is Oskar's first time getting invited to Brittney's party. Much to Star's frustration, Oskar was one of the cool kids thanks to his awesome Keytar.

"It's true, Star. As a person who got invited multiple times to Brittney's parties, this is really the first time Oskar got invited." Jackie interjected, which further increased the look of disbelief on Star's face when she was about to open her mouth Oskar beat her to it.

"Well, Star, that wasn't always the case" Oskar rubbed the back of his head nervously, which was a bit weird since Oskar usually has laid back look.

"What do you mean?" Star said with a confused tone.

"Well, would you believe if I said that in the past, my music was so terrible that other people would run in terror the moment they hear me play?" Star's eyes widened in disbelief. Marco raised his hand at this question, but Jackie shook her head at him, causing him to lower it.

"Yeah, before I met Marco, I was a pretty dumb kid. Well, dumber than normal," Oskar said as he chuckled along with Marco and Jackie, remembering how obnoxious Oskar used to be before he met Marco. Star then got a look of realization on her face, finally remembering Marco's story on how he met Oskar.

"Ah, I remember now! Marco told me that before he met you in person, you use to be so terrible with your Keytar to the point that every time he heard you play, he was tempted to snatch it from you and smash your head with it. he also said-hmp!" at this point, Marco had covered Star's mouth with his hand, not wanting her to tell some of the not so kind thoughts he used to harbor towards Oskar because of his terrible music

"Ok, how about we talk about something else instead," Marco said while laughing a bit nervously. Thankfully, Oskar did not question it further since he understood why Marco would think like that. He almost got arrested once for noise pollution.

"So, Jackie, since your pretty much our only friend who gets invited to Brittney's party, care to fill us in on what usually happens," Marco asked Jackie, who got a thoughtful look at first before answering.

"Well, usually once we get going there's karaoke which Brittney is horrible at, present opening which is demeaning to everyone as Brittney throws aside her gifts. Then there's cake cutting which, thankfully, has no incident happen, like a man jumping out of it to surprise everyone," Jackie explained with Star listening intently.

"Then, what happens next?" Star asked eagerly.

"Well, Star... that's it after everyone has finished eating cake Brittney just drops us off at our homes."

"What! But that sounds so boring!" Jackie, Oskar, and Marco were all taken back by her outburst "Parties are supposed to be fun. Heck, the 'welcome to earth' party that Marco and his dad threw for me sounded a lot more fun than what you just said!"

"Welcome to Earth Party?" Oskar and Jackie said while facing Marco, who answered: "It's a small party that my dad and I threw for Star after she arrived on Earth though it was mostly just dad and Me giving Star a cake before she took me dimension-hopping as usual."

"Oh," Both Jackie and Oskar nodded at this. They saw that Star was about to speak probably to say something about how parties should be more fun. However, this was cut off by what could only be described as one of the most horrible sound that Marco had ever heard in his life. If the beta editor had to describe it, it sounded like a mix between Gilbert Gottfried trying to sing Opera and a moose giving birth to an elephant. (That's right, I went there!- RJ Ink)

As Jackie covered her ears, while Star and Oskar seemed to be unaffected by it, Marco's face was visibly twitching, trying to find the source of the sound intending to do something about it. When he found the source, his face morphed into a frown. It was Brittney, who was so tone-deaf that she didn't realize that her singing made everyone want to tear their ears off and put them in a blender. Marco considered simply jumping out of the window into moving traffic. His Celestial half would be enough to keep him safe.

_Nah, Star will just Raspberry Ribbon Lasso me back in. Might as well suck it up like a man. Or half of one, in my case_. Suddenly, Marco saw Star stand up and get ready to march up to Brittney. Thankfully, he grabbed her before she could unknowingly start World War III meets Mean Girls.

"Woah, Star. What do you think you're doing?" Marco questioned Star, who was frowning at him for stopping her from whatever she was about to do. "Duh, I'm gonna liven this party up obviously," Star said as she tried to get up again only for Marco to pull her back down again, with Jackie speaking up.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Star," Jackie said in a worried tone.

"Yeah, Star. Besides, you don't want Brittney kicking you off the bus now, do you?" Marco questioned. Though if she did get thrown out, he'd probably use it as an excuse to bail.

"Oh, I understand, Marco," Star said in a sad tone. Marco was surprised that Star listened to them. Normally his advice would go through one ear and out the other. True to his expectations, Star jumped from her seat and bolted straight towards Brittney._ I should have seen that coming, _Marco thought as he facepalmed

"Hey, everyone!" Star announced stopping Brittney from her singing

"Star Butterfly! What do you think you're doing?!" the rich girl said angrily at Star's interruption. The other guests just stood there, frozen. No one had ever interrupted one of Brittney's singing before, no matter how much they wanted to.

"I'm making this boring party more fun, obviously!" Star announced proudly. "Now, just sit back and let the party master take care of everything!" before raising her Wand, yelling, "Rubber Sparkle Bounce House!" With a flash, the interior of the bus transformed into a bounce house, causing everyone to bounce around everywhere, brightening their mood almost right away.

"Star Butterfly rules!

"Alright!"

"Finally, a real party!"

Everyone cheered as they bounced around on the walls and ceiling, while Brittney just stood there with a sneer on her face. Meanwhile, Marco, Jackie, and Oskar simply laughed at their friend's antics before proceeding to get in on the fun.

"Woohoo, isn't this fun, Marco?" Jackie asked Marco who was bouncing next to her.

"Yeah, I gotta admit this is fun," said Marco. "I'm just glad I skipped out on dinner."

"Well, not saying I'm surprised with this development, considering this is Star," Oskar said as he bounced around with the rest of the kids while playing a riff on his Keytar. "Though I think things are about to get messy," the musician added. When his companions gave him a confused look, he pointed to Brittney, who seemed to be getting angrier by the second. Jackie and Marco both got a look of concern about this.

"This may end up being World War III meets Mean Girls after all," Marco said, thinking out loud.

As for Brittney, she was furious right now. First, she had to invite Star Butterfly, someone she saw as a big threat to her popularity, to her party to save face in front of everyone. Then she showed up when she was hoping that she wouldn't. Now the weird freak had the nerve to disrupt her singing, called her party boring in front of all her guests, and made a mess of everything. And the worst part was she either didn't notice or didn't care!

"See, Brittney, isn't this way more fun?" Star asked as she bounced right next to her, causing her scowl to deepen. "Ooh, better idea! Hey, everyone, follow me up to the roof!" Star shouted, prompting all her guests to follow the Princess to the roof.

With a wave of her Wand, Star stood before a cheering crowd and shouted, "Foaming twinkle bubble ripple!" With a zap of her Wand, an oyster-shaped hot tub appeared. With another wave of her Wand, she had given everyone bathing suits so they could dive in and enjoy themselves. Meanwhile, Brittney was looking from the stairs as she reached her breaking point.

That's it! Brittney then made her way to the emergency brake that she had installed on the bus. Given that the driver was on the other side of a glass window, it was a good idea, and perfect for getting rid of party crashers. The bus then came to an abrupt stop causing everyone who was still inside to get sent flying forward, while those that weren't nearly fell over due to the sudden stop.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Star asked as she came down from the rooftop after nearly tripping over herself.

"Get. Out. " Brittney said in as neutral a tone as possible. Which, considering that she was filled with rage, was impressive.

"Huh?" Star was confused at this.

"I said, GET OUT!" Brittney yelled.

When Star was about to speak, she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned her head, she saw that it was Marco as well as Jackie, and Oskar was behind him.

"Come on, Star, let's go," Marco said in a serious tone before making his way to the driver's seat. Seeing Marco's serious look, Star didn't argue with him, considering that Oskar and Jackie followed him too. As Star followed them, she failed to notice the brief look of sadness on Brittney's face directed towards Marco

When Marco and his friends arrived at the driver's seat, Jackie double took at the sight of Janna sitting on the driver's seat

"Janna?! What are you doing here?!" Jackie asked her beanie-wearing friend in disbelief

"Sup guys," Janna greeted them, ignoring Jackie's question before noticing the serious look on Marco's face.

"So I take it Star was banished, and you three decided to go with her?" Janna questioned her friends, who were now standing in front of her.

"Yeah, can you open the door for us?" Marco asked, to which Janna complied.

"You coming?" Marco asked Janna.

"As much as I'd love to, I did knock out the driver sooo."

Janna said while smiling sheepishly (and Marco choosing to ignore the comment), "I'll see you guys tomorrow, but don't worry. After I prank Brittney, I'll make sure to steal some cake and presents for you guys.

Marco smiled at this "Come on guys, let's get outta here" before he could step out first he noticed the sad look on Star's face "What's wrong, Star?" he asked worriedly.

"Oh, Marco, can't you see? I ruined Brittney's party," Star said in a sad tone.

"Are you kidding? Star, that party was already a disaster way before you showed up. Heck, you made it better than it's ever been." Jackie comforted

"Yeah, you were pretty awesome back there," Oskar added.

"Come on, Star. How about we head back home, and I'll make us some nachos?" Marco said

Hearing what her friends said, Star smiled widely "Aw, you guys" Star and her friends then stepped out of the bus with Marco inhaling.

"Ahhhhh, fresh air. It smells like...Monsters?!" Standing right in front of him were Ludo and his gang of Monsters. Buff Frog, Beard Deer, and Three-Eyed Potato Baby were glaring at him pointedly. _Oh crud, they're still mad about the arm thing._

"Get them!" Ludo ordered.

* * *

**Back at the rooftop**

The woman from before stood up from her chair with it dematerializing. She faced her companion before she heard him speak up.

" It's time."

* * *

**Celestial Journal**

**Invulnerability- As one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, Celestials were known to be extremely durable to the point that they can easily shrug off attacks that would normally injure or outright kill a normal person.**

* * *

**Chapter Notes****Turns out I like leaving notes for the Celestial Journals so I'll be continuing it. Anyway here you go part 2 of Brittney's party. Anyway in case you don't know the two mysterious figures are part of the group that appeared in the end scene of Revelations. This group will play a significant role for the story though as for whether their alignment is good or bad well it's a secret for now.**

**Anyway Review Responses time**

**I'mafanofFANFICTIONS- of course Janna is at the party she's Janna after all though hope you were satisfied with how she was able to attend the party. As for Brittney it will be revealed a little in part3.**

**FREFERNA2008-**** yep and I did that on purpose and not because it was just a coincidence**

**Hurtturnip- well I hope you were satisfied with this update**

**OMAC001- it will be hinted on in part3**

**demiwizard202- hope you enjoyed this update**

**Starco4everr- again thank you for your continued support**

**Guest- oh my God are you a mind reader. You'll find out in time**

**Masked Freak- Yeah hopefully. Well I think you already got an idea on what Star's gift is based on the whimper from it As for Marco's it's a secret for now.**

**Rothem Out!**

**Peace!**


	19. Brittney's Party Part3

"It's time," the dark armored being known as Kiri stated as he watched Marco and his friends get thrown back into the bus by Ludo and his monsters before hearing his companion speak up.

"So what's the plan, my love," the cloaked woman asked, the eagerness in her voice matched only by the grin on her face.

"Simple. We deprive their vehicle of its ability to stop," Kiri answered in a smug, yet serious, tone.

"Ooh, I like it. Simple but effective," the woman gleefully responded to her companion's idea.

The cloaked woman suddenly opened what appeared to be a white portal on her body before pulling out what seemed to be a futuristic sniper rifle. As she adjusted the sights, she spoke up.

"Do I kill the driver?" the woman said as she watched through her rifle scope as Three-Eyed Potato Baby removed Janna from the driver's seat. When she saw the triclops adjust the hat, she couldn't help but giggle in response.

"No, we were given strict orders not to kill anyone," Kiri answered as the bus began to speed down the highway.

"Then how do you suppose we do your plan then?" the woman asked as she puts away the rifle into one of her white portal on her body.

"Use your one of your tools to remove the brakes, and a small suggestion, go with the disc," Kiri replied. The cloaked woman grinned before again opening a portal on her body. She then pulled out what appeared to be a sharp disc the size of her hand.

"Would this suffice?" the woman presented the disk to her companion, who nodded in approval at it.

"Alright then, Kiri, if you would." A dark portal materialized in front of the woman who then threw the disc she was holding into it before closing up.

"This was easy," the woman said, "So should we get outta here, or do you want to watch?"

"Let's watch. We rarely get some time alone after all," Kiri answered, which earned a coo from the woman.

"Aww, how sweet of you," the woman walked over to kiss her companion on his helmet. The armored being then made them a giant chair to sit down in so they could observe the bus. When they weren't busy enjoying each other, that is.

* * *

**Back on the Party Bus**

"Alright, everyone, who wants to see me open my presents!" Brittney chirped. Getting rid of Star whatshername helped brighten her mood, even if it did drag everyone else down in the process. Star was the only one making the party fun, after all!

Noticing the lack of response from her remaining guests, Brittney glared at them before adding "I'm waiting" in an annoyed tone, prompting the remaining guests to cheer a bit unenthusiastically. However, the rich girl didn't notice this. Or if she did, she didn't care.

The guests cheering were abruptly stopped when Marco, Star, Oskar, and Jackie came in flying and crashing into Brittney. Much to everyone's joy, as again, Star was making the party excellent. The cheering stopped, though, as soon as they saw the tiny birdman and a bunch of Monsters having forced their way onto the bus. Most of the students at Echo Creek Academy weren't as close to Star as Marco, Jackie, Janna, and Oskar were. However, they had seen enough of Ludo around to know that he was bad news.

"Incoming!" Janna's voice was heard before the girl was thrown by the monsters towards Star and her friends earning a groan from them. Except for the blonde-haired Princess who got up to confront Ludo and his monsters immediately.

"Ludo! What's your game?" Star questioned the little bird man who grabbed a soda can before opening it with his beak.

"I'm gonna Bus-jack this bus," Ludo answered smugly before sipping the soda.

"That's a particularly stupid plan Ludo," Star answered, causing the little bird man to choke on his drink.

"What?! It's a great plan!" Ludo snapped back only for a certain trickster girl to interject.

"Yeah, I agree that is dumb," Janna said while sitting up "Also, could you give me my hat back?" the girl said while pointing to Potato Baby, who was now wearing her hat with a proud look on his face.

"Shut it! You don't get to make any demands here! Three-Eyed Potato Baby take the wheel!" Ludo ordered.

The three-eyed Monster nodded before walking over to the driver's seat, fastens his seat belt, checks his mirrors, and straightened his (Janna's) cap even though he took extra time straightening causing his boss to yell at him angrily for taking so much time with it. "Just get on with it!"

Three-eyed Potato Baby immediately floored it, sending the bus down the road at high speeds, causing the guests to be thrown to the back of the bus. However, the three-eyed Monster then heard something.

***Clank***

It sounded like something metallic had hit the bus, which prompted the three-eyed Monster to look around. When he couldn't find the source of the sound, he shrugged, choosing to ignore whatever the mysterious sound was. Unknown to everyone, a small, beeping red disc had attached itself to the bus's bottom.

Meanwhile, Marco was pretty much fed up with the night's events. First, he had to attend Brittney's party, which he didn't want to do if it wasn't for Star's insisting. Just when things were starting to get better, Brittney had to kick Star out just because everyone liked her more to make the party better. Seriously, could that girl think of someone else for once in her life?

Now though? Considering he had to deal with Ludo just when he thought he was in the clear. Let's say Marco Diaz was about ready to lose it.

He couldn't just try and fight us like he usually does, could he? He had to come up with something this dumb, Marco thought as he saw Ludo order his monsters to attack Star. However, he noticed that Buff Frog and Beard Deer were focused squarely at him. And they were glaring at him hard enough to melt through rock.

_Oh, crud. They're still mad about what happened last time, aren't they?_ Marco moved to get up but then heard a yelp come from below him. When he looked down, he saw that Brittney was right below him. And her face was red from anger. It took Marco half a second to realize that it was due to where he placed his hand. He swore he heard Janna whistle at this before saying something along the lines of "Marco, you sly dog." The hybrid boy immediately pulled back his hands before jumping.

"Oh, my God! I am so so so sorry!" Marco apologized profusely with his face still red "I didn't mea-"

**SMACK!**

Marco's apology was cut short by a resounding bitch slap, which everyone heard on the bus. Marco's friends couldn't help but wince at what they saw, and Star and the Monsters chasing stopped to see what had happened. Even Ludo couldn't help but wince at the sight.

"DORKO DIAZ, YOU FREAKING PERVERT!!!" Brittney screamed at the unfortunate boy.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, one of the Monsters got things back on track. "Can we fight now?"

Remembering why they had come there in the first place, Ludo took charge of the situation. "Son of a-YES! GET THEM!" And the Monsters immediately moved to go after Star. As Marco moved to help her, though, Beard Deer and Buff Frog stood in his path.

"Karate boy, we meet again," the large frog-man growled in a low tone. "Heeey, Buff Frog. Sooo, how's the arm doing?" Marco nervously asked. The two didn't say anything. They just cracked their knuckles.

"You're not still mad about me breaking your arm last time, are you, Buff Frog? Because I'm detecting a lot of hostility coming from you." Marco said, thinking out loud.

"Wait, didn't he break your arm, Marco," Janna commented, which didn't help anything

"Hey, Janna, maybe we should go make sure the other guests are ok. I don't think Marco needs us to get in his way," Jackie said, clearly not wanting to be around for whatever was about to go down. The three then promptly turned tail, but not before Oskar turned back to look at Marco and told him to "kick their butts." Marco gave him a reassuring smile before turning back to face the two pissed-off Monsters.

"Alright, which one of you will go first?" Marco questioned his two opponents as he got into a fighting stance. Since he couldn't use his Celestial powers here(as much as he wanted to), he would have to rely on his karate. He then saw the two monsters also get into a fighting stance "So both at the same time then?" the hybrid boy taunted.

Instead of answering, Buff Frog and Beard Deer charged at him. The latter tried tackling him to the ground, but luckily, Marco was able to dodge it by leaping over the deer monster before punching at Buff Frog's head. To his shock, though, the frog monster was able to block it, which confused him. Usually, Ludo's flunkies weren't that great at fighting. The hybrid then heard Jackie yell, "Behind You!". He turned just in time to duck an incoming punch from Beard Deer. Marco flashed Jackie a grateful smile though he noticed Janna was recording the entire thing with her phone, causing Marco to chuckle at her antics for once. The boy then dodged a punch from Buff Frog, bringing his thoughts back to the Monster's improved fighting skills.

_Have these guys been training? They're a lot better than when I last fought them_, Marco thought. He wanted to beat these two quickly so he could help Star with the rest of the monsters on the roof. Seeing how the two he was fighting had improved, he was a bit afraid that perhaps the same could be said with the rest of the monsters. However, he immediately buried his worries when he recalled his conversation with Star the night he told her the truth about him and how she could handle herself.

_Man, it feels great now that I've told Star about my secret. It's like a weight has been lifted off my chest;_ the boy thought with a smile as he launched a kick towards Beard Deer's face, which this time managed to connect, dazing the bearded Monster while Ludo could do nothing but rant in the background. However, a distorted voice suddenly entered Marco's mind stating many thoughts.

**_What about Jackie?_**

**_What about Janna?_**

**_And even Oskar?_**

At the same time, everything slowed to a stop though thankfully, he remained in the same place this time. "Oh no," the hooded teen thought out loud in fear remembering the last time such an incident happened.

**Play Another Side, Another Story, /watch?v=oFs2vkKNr54**

"What's going on here, and where's that voice coming from?" Marco thought as he looked around his now frozen environment, searching for the source of the voice. That's when he saw standing next to his friends was a mysterious figure wearing a black cloak covered in zippers. At the same time, it's face was hidden behind a white mask with markings that reminded Marco of his face whenever the cracks were visible. All in all, Marco thought this person was familiar. When he took a step towards it, he heard the voice again.

**_They've been with you for years. You've known them since you were a kid, and yet you've never told them about you. While Star, whom you've only known for a few months, you decided to tell your secret_**. The cloaked figure said while gesturing to his frozen friends. After hearing what it meant, Marco felt guilty. However, this feeling was replaced by dread when he felt a cloaked figure in front of him release an ominous and powerful aura, which made the boy feel a shiver down his spine while his hair stood on ends along with goosebumps jumping on his arms. Marco, who was still frozen in fear, widened his eyes when he saw the dark figure bringing one of its hands dangerously close to his frozen friends. On instinct Marco used his powers to create a rock fist and sent it flying to the cloaked figure, The boy didn't care if his friends would learn of his secrets right here and now because he would rather have that happen instead of them possibly getting hurt because of whoever this person was.

When the fist was about to collide with the cloaked figure, the rock projectile suddenly burst into bubbles shocking Marco, who took a step back. When the bubbles had dissipated, Marco saw the being had its palm outstretched before shaking its head in what appears to be disappointment. It then started walking towards Marco at a slow pace causing the boy to take a step back with each step forward the figure took.

Marco was now panicking. Every time he materialized a rock fist to attack, it would burst into bubbles before it could reach its target. It didn't help that the person in front of him just kept on walking towards him. Marco then felt his back touch something. When he turned around, he saw that he bumped into a frozen Buff Frog and Beard Deer, who had their fist pulled back for a punch. He also noticed Ludo was greedily scarfing down oysters at the snack table, which made the boy scoff at him.

When Marco turned to face the shadowy figure again, it was now standing right in front of him, causing the boy to jump in place before transforming his arms into a tentacle arm and using it to swipe at the shadowy figure.

Unfortunately, the person was able to catch Marco's tentacle arm effortlessly, and when Marco tried to pull it back the cloaked figure had a tight grip on it

"Who who are you?" Marco questioned the person, his arm now beginning to hurt so badly that he couldn't change it back.

The cloaked figure tilted its head at Marco's question, seemingly coming up with a reply for Marco. The person then brought its head dangerously close to Marco's, causing the teen to inwardly panic at what this stranger would do to him until he heard it whisper something to his ear.

**_Save them_**

_Save them? Save who?_ Marco thought as he watched the figure in front of him back away, letting go of his tentacle arm, which was now a bit bruised, causing the boy to rub it as he turns it back to normal while taking his eyes off the figure in front of him.

**End Music**

After turning his arm back to normal, Marco was about to question the figure even more. Still, when he turned to look at him, it was already gone with no sign as to where he disappeared to all the while he failed to notice everything had begun to move again until heard the familiar voice of Oskar shouting something to him.

"Dude, watch out!"

When Marco turned his head, he could do nothing but watch as both Buff Frog and Beard Deer's fists inches from his face giving him no time to dodge, only able to utter the word "Crapbasket" before the punches made contact with his face. The blows were able to send Marco flying towards Jackie and the others who thankfully was able to catch Marco preventing him from getting hurt even more

"Ooh, that gotta hurt!" one of the guests commented while Brittney got a look of concern on her face.

The rest of the guests including Jackie and the others got a concerned look when they saw The frogman and deer man approach the now unconscious Marco menacingly.

"End of line Karate Boy," the frogman said. At the same time, the deer man cracked its knuckles with a sinister smirk on its face, they then heard loud munching sound everyone turned to Ludo to see him greedily eating away at the oysters he stopped when he noticed everyone giving him a look of "seriously?"

"What are you all looking at?! You two!" Ludo yelled while pointing harshly at Buff Frog and Beard deer who flinched at this "Just finish off the karate kid already!" the birdman barked(or squawked?) before continuing to ravage the plate while saying "There's a rumbly in my tummy" happily

When the two monsters made a move towards the unconscious alien boy, however, they were blocked by Janna and Oskar who stood defensively in front of Jackie who was holding Marco's unconscious body

"Out of the way, this does not concern you," Buff Frog said while taking another step.

"Yeah, that's not happening bub," Janna said in a defiant tone with her signature smirk; however, instead of the usual laid back look she had, it was that of a serious one.

"Yeah, you're gonna have to go through us first!" Oskar said while he strummed his keytar

"Fine, don't say he didn't warn you," Beard Deer said as he raised his fist to punch the two teenagers; however, before he could bring it down, he and Buff Frog heard someone call out to them.

"Hey, freaks!"

Buff Frog and Beard Deer, along with everyone else, turned to the source of the voice to see that it was Brittney, who had gotten up from her seat and was now glaring at the two monsters. They were a bit intimidated by it, the two of them then pointed to themselves with a raised brow.

"Yeah that's right I'm talking to you!" Brittney yelled even while her guests watch in surprise and awe at the birthday girl boldly confronting the monsters

"You freaks have overstayed your welcome so you can get the rest of your freaky buddies and get out of my bus!" Brittney huffed. Clearly, yelling repeatedly had taken a toll on her. However, the monsters simply laughed at her rant, especially Ludo.

"Hahaha and what made you think we will listen to you brat!" the birdman laughed accompanied by his minions, their laughing was cut off when a gift box collided with Ludo's face knocking down the birdman which was followed by a collective gasp from everyone while Janna, clearly impressed, whistled.

"Woah. Nice shot, Brittney" Janna gave the rich girl a thumbs up, which was followed by everyone cheering for the girl.

"Brittney Wong Rules!"

"So Cool!"

"She really is amazing!"

"Hmph, whatever. I just don't want you people spreading rumors about me letting my guests get hurt at my own party," Brittney huffed.

"How dare you do this to me, you brat!" everyone stopped cheering when they heard Ludo yell with an angry look on his face "Buff Frog, Beard Deer! Get the girl!" Ludo ordered while pointing to Brittney who got a scared look on her face when she saw the two monsters approach her

Before the two monsters could even take a step toward Brittney they were each hit in the face by a present

Ludo and the monsters then saw that all of Brittney's guests, including Janna and Oskar, had each grabbed a present box before bombarding the monsters with them.

"Ow! How dar- Argh stop that!" Ludo tried to protect himself, but due to his small size, it was futile.

"Ha take that you monster!" one of the guests said

When one of the guests, namely Sabrina(who was either stupid or brave), picked up the present that Brittney was holding, which she left on her seat to throw at the monsters, it was immediately snatched out of her hand by Brittney who was now glaring at her. Sabrina, who now had a terrified look on her face, braced herself to be yelled at and possibly be removed from the cheerleading squad. Surprisingly it didn't happen, and instead, Brittney handed her a different present to throw, she then looked at the present in her hands and at Brittney repeatedly with a dumbfounded look on her face which annoyed the Brittney prompting her to yell at the clumsy girl as a result

"Well? Just throw it already, will you!"

Sabrina immediately threw it, which managed to hit Ludo square in the face.

"You little-" Ludo, who by now had a black eye due to one of the presents that managed to hit his face containing something heavy, noticed the box that recently hit his face having the words 'From Star Butterfly!' on it. The birdman cracked a smile, thinking that surely whatever presents the Butterfly Brat decided to get contained something valuable that he could use.

The moment Ludo opened the present, his smirk morphed into that of a frown.

"What is this disgusting abomination?!" Ludo said in a disgusted tone.

Everyone got a curious look, wondering what could possibly be inside the box that Star had gotten for that Ludo considered an abomination. Brittney, though, had an angry look at the thought of the Butterfly freak getting her something disgusting for her Birthday.

They then saw Ludo drop throw the present to the ground rather harshly which was followed by a loud whimper from it causing everyone minus Ludo to get a confused look however as soon as whatever made the whimpering sound finally crawled out of the box they couldn't help but go "Awww" when they finally saw what it was

It was a puppy, more specifically, it resembled that of a labrador retriever. However, it was by no means a normal one, for it had purple fur instead of the usual fur color a labrador would normally have. And for some odd reason was wearing a hat just like the one Brittney was wearing. It then started looking around it's surrounding until its eyes landed on Brittney before barking happily while wagging its tail, everyone found it even more adorable until it started shooting lasers from its eyes much to everyone's confusion. One of the lasers bounced off the window hitting Ludo in the eye causing said Monster to scream in pain while his minions yelled "Boss!" worriedly

"Sweet it's like the laser puppies at Marco's house," Janna commented while taking a picture of Ludo writhing in pain while his minions attempted to help him with no success.

"Yeah, though, why is this one purple?" Oskar questioned.

"Speaking of Marco, how's he doing, by the way, Jackie?" Janna said while turning to Jackie who was cradling Marco who was still unconscious

"Still unconscious though thankfully, he doesn't have any other injuries except possibly for a concussion when he wakes up," Jackie answered with a worried look on her face.

"Good thing, your Mom's a doctor, huh?" Janna said as she and Oskar watch the purple laser puppy, which she had secretly nicknamed Little Britty walk towards Brittney before sitting down in front of her wagging its tail happily before shooting another laser which the girl was able to narrowly dodge. unfortunately, the laser bounced off a window again and managed to hit Ludo this time in his other eye

"Aarrgggghh why did it hit me again?!" the little birdman screamed in pain again, while Brittney, who was impressed by this picked up the laser puppy in front of her before petting it proudly "I'm keeping her" the birthday girl announced as she continued to pet the puppy who barked happily at the petting.

"Forget this!" Ludo yelled out while still rubbing both of his eyes, which Janna and Oskar snickered at before hearing the little Monster speak up again "Let's just focus on getting the Wand from Princess Brat! Buff Frog, carry me to the roof!" Ludo ordered

The Frog Man nodded before carrying Ludo, who had probably been blinded at this point before making their way to the roof, followed by Beard Deer. However, when they reached the stairs, they gave the unconscious Marco one last glare before moving again.

Everyone sighed in relief as soon as the monsters were now out of sight and had most likely joined its other allies in fighting Star Butterfly evidenced by them hearing said Princess was yelling "Narwhal Blast!" followed by what was most likely one of the monsters screaming in agony causing some of the guest to shudder.

"Guys, he's waking up!" Janna and Oskar heard Jackie call out to them before turning to see Marco stirring awake

"I knew he wouldn't be out long. That guy's just too tough for that," Janna said with a smirk.

"Yeah I agree, remember that Halloween incident?" Oskar added recalling the incident with a nostalgic look on his face as he played an equally nostalgic tune on his keytar.

"Didn't we agree with Marco never to discuss that incident ever again?" Jackie said in a scolding tone, though there was a hint of amusement to it, while Janna simply shrugged, and Oskar continued to play on his keytar.

"*Groan* how long was I out?" Marco said, having been aware that he had passed out thanks to his Celestial half. Though he was thankful that he didn't return to the mindscape, he really didn't want another repeat of that. He then heard his friend Janna answer his question.

"Ehh, not long, anyways, what was that all about?" Janna asked with some worry in her tone

"Ugh, What do you mean?" Marco managed to groan out while rubbing his bruised face with his hands and getting up as well

"One second you were kicking their butt then the neck you just suddenly stands still with a dazed look on your face," Jackie answered with worry in her tone.

_So it was real then. Last time something like that happened was in the Bounce Lounge with..._ Marco's eyes widened in realization. Thankfully his friends failed to notice this. _Oh God, was that guy a Celestial? No wonder none of my attacks worked against him, though what did he mean by saving them?_ The half-celestial was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Oskar, who had stopped playing on his keytar call out to him in a slightly worried tone.

"Uh, dude? You alright? You're kinda doing it again."

"Oh, sorry...Wait, where did Buff Frog and Beard Deer go?!" Marco said in a panicked tone seeing that his two opponents had disappeared along with Ludo.

"Who?" Jackie said in a confused tone unfamiliar with the names her friend just said, causing Marco to facepalm, realizing that none of his friends except perhaps for Star knew the names of the monsters they fought. When you tend to fight people on a daily basis, you tend to learn their names.

"He means those two monsters he was fighting" Janna answered for Marco which surprised the boy but then again he realized he shouldn't be considering this was Janna after all, he then heard his trickster friend speak up again, "and if you're wondering where Frogger and Bambi's mutant uncle are, they ran up to the roof" Janna answered casually, not in the least bit worried that Star was most likely fighting the entirety of Ludo's army on her own. The same couldn't be said for Marco, who immediately got up; however, he stopped in his tracks when he heard Janna say something to him.

"Hey Marco you got a little something on your cheek there," Janna said while pointing to he own cheek to better show Marco exactly what she was pointing at

Marco got a confused look at this, and when he brought one of his hand to cheek, he recoiled the moment his hand made contact with his cheek as he felt a sharp pain the moment he did so. He then created a small mirror in his pocket before pulling it out. When he saw his face's reflection, he felt his blood went cold, on his cheek was a small crack that upon further inspection was spreading little by little, which caused Marco to start panicking.

_No no no no no why is this happening?! the spell is supposed to last at least until tomorrow morning!_

As Marco continued to panic his breathing started becoming more rapid as he began to pant out short breaths rapidly and sharply, his hand scratching at his chest to clutch at his heart as he felt himself while being unaware of the look of concern everyone was now giving him, including Brittney herself, which came as a surprise to those sitting next to her. They tried calling out to the panicking boy, but it all fell on deaf ears. Marco knew that he shouldn't be panicking over the small crack since no one but Star and his dad knew about it, but he couldn't help but do so as multiple thoughts of his entered his mind

_What if they find out?_

_I'm not yet ready._

_Please God no._

"Marco!"

The hybrid boy was brought out of his mental panicking when he heard the voice of his best friend, Star Butterfly, call out to him. He turned to see Star sticking her head from the roof. He then felt himself calming down. He didn't know why, just because he saw his best friend. When he was about to speak Star beat him to it

"Take the wheel!" Star yelled before pulling herself back up not giving Marco time to ask what she meant however this question of his was answered when he heard Jackie who was sticking her head out the window speak in a worried tone

"Uh, dude, I think you should see this" The skater girl motioned for Marco to come to the window to look at it, which he complied. When he got to the window next to the one Jackie was using, he then stuck his head out to get a look at what Jackie was referring to.

At first, Marco wasn't able to locate what Jackie was looking at until he heard Janna who had used the window next to him speak up surprising him into bumping his head on the window in the process.

"Is that a portal?" The beanie-wearing girl said casually while pointing to what looked like a green vortex in the distance.

Marco looked in the direction Janna was pointing at, and indeed there was a portal. The hybrid boy then used his Celestial power to increase the range of his vision, allowing him to see that two monsters were guarding the portal. Marco realized what Star meant now along with remembering Ludo saying that he was bus-jacking the bus, so he wasted no time in pulling his head back into the bus

"Guys, we need to stop the bus!" Marco said with urgency in his tone

Thankfully his friends chose not to question him with Oskar saying, "Lead the way man," before slinging his keytar onto his back.

Marco nodded gratefully before gesturing to his friends to follow him as they made their way to where Three-eyed Potato Baby was driving the bus.

* * *

**Meanwhile back with two mysterious figures**

"Activate the disk now," Kiri, who was watching through what looked like binoculars, said to his companion who nodded.

"Right away, love," the woman said before bringing up one of her hands before pressing the bracelet on it using her other hand. The bracelet then revealed a hologram of the disk from before. The woman then pressed a button on the hologram, which then revealed the word active on it.

"Now... time to see what you're capable of Heaven child," the dark armored being said while its helmet morphed it's an expression from a serious one to that cracking a sinister smile while his companion looked at him lovingly seemingly unaffected by his now menacing look.

_He looks so handsome like that_ The woman thought while giggling to herself.

* * *

**Back with Marco**

Marco and his friends quietly entered the driver's chamber, not wanting to alert the Monster to their presence. Marco then tiptoed to the Monster getting ready to karate chop him while discreetly using his powers to increase his strength, however before he could do so, he was stopped by Janna, who shushed him. Marco, Jackie, and Oskar then watched their beanie-wearing friend approach the Monster before tapping on its shoulder.

"Hey," Janna greeted the Monster with a casual nod, which it returned absentmindedly before returning it's gazed to the road until its eyes widened in realization. Unfortunately, it was too late

***ZAP!!!***

Three-eyed potato baby dropped to the ground unconscious after getting tased brutally by Janna, who simply blew on her taser, which was emitting a small smoke due to the amount of voltage is used.

"I'll be taking that," Janna said while taking back her hat from the now unconscious Monster before putting it on herself and then pocketing the taser

"Isn't that a bit overkill?" Marco questioned

"Says the guy who literally beat the snot out of Buff Frog with his tentacle arm," Janna snapped back, causing her friend to flinch at her words.

"Please don't remind me of that," Marco said with a clear look of discomfort on his face.

"Uh, why isn't the bus slowing down?" Oskar chimed in

"Wait, what?" Both Janna and Marco said. They then saw that the bus was indeed still moving towards the green portal, they then looked towards the unconscious Monster and saw that its head was lying on the gas pedal

"Quick, get him off the pedal!" Jackie said

Marco and Oskar quickly worked together to get the heavy Monster off the gas pedal; however, they ended up struggling to even move potato baby(even with Marco enhancing his strength) due to him turning out to be really heavy it didn't help that it was unconscious as well.

"Damnit Janna, did you really have to knock him out cold!" Marco said in an annoyed tone as he and Oskar attempted to move the unconscious monster

"Hey, don't blame me, not like you weren't going to do the same with that karate chop of yours," Janna answered back.

"Yeah, man, and it's not like your chops don't hurt either. remember Halloween?" Oskar added

"Hey! I thought we agreed never to discuss that again!" Marco protested

"Eh, more like you agreed not to discuss it," Janna countered, which caused Marco to get annoyed at this.

Marco then stopped moving potato baby and started nagging at Janna who simply countered everything he said much to Jackie and Oskar's amusement, the two of them then looked towards the road before their eyes widened.

"Uh, guys?" Jackie and Oskar called out to Janna and Marco who were still arguing

"What?!" Marco and Janna said at the same time in an annoyed tone

They then saw that Jackie and Oskar were pointing towards the road. Marco realized that they were getting close to the portal, which made him scold himself for wasting time arguing with Janna.

"Guys, come on, let's get this guy off!" Marco gestured for all of his friends to help him and Oskar this time. Jackie and Janna then got a hold of one side while Marco and Oskar were holding the other.

"Ok, on my count. 1, 2, lift!" with Marco and his friend's combined efforts they were finally able to get potato baby off the gas pedal giving the hybrid boy a feeling of relief

However, this feeling was cut short when Marco saw that the bus wasn't slowing down in the least.

Unknown to them beneath the bus, the same disk from before had stopped beeping and was now glowing green, as if it had activated.

"Janna, take the wheel and stop the bus!" Marco ordered

"Right," Janna nodded, choosing not to make a fuss for now since the situation called for it, she immediately jerked the wheel to the side to avoid hitting a car. She then slowly lowered her foot onto the brake since she has personally seen both on tv and in real life what would happen if you suddenly used the brake on a speeding vehicle. However even after her foot had jammed out the brake, it did nothing to slow down the bus

"Guys, the brakes aren't working!" Janna said in a panicked tone

"What?!" Janna and her friends turned to see that Sabrina who for some reason followed them had heard what she said and proceeded to tell everyone about it which result in everyone except for those in the driver's area to start panicking and yelling

"Oh my God, we're all gonna die!"

"What are we gonna do!?"

"I'm too young to die!"

"You tell me I'm too pretty to die!"

The last one was said by Brittney(no surprise there), who was holding her new pet puppy protectively while visibly panicking herself along with the rest of her guests who continued to panic and scream in fear.

"Great, who left the door open?" Janna said annoyed and sarcastically

"Forget that! Jackie interjected before pointing to the road, "Look."

Janna and her friends then saw that they were getting closer to the portal.

"Crud Crud Crud Crud what do we do?" Marco said while pulling some of his hair, the hybrid boy then looked towards the roof of the bus considering calling Star, but with the number of Monsters she was fighting, there's a low chance they would let her get away. Marco then thought about using his powers, but he couldn't come up with a way to effectively use it to stop the bus.

Marco was pulled from his thoughts when the bus suddenly took a sharp turn causing him to fall down towards the open bus door, luckily Oskar and Jackie were able to grab his hoodie in time and pulled him back in before he could fall off the bus._ I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes back there,_ he thought while sweating nervously.

Marco then thanked Oskar and Jackie before turning to Janna in the driver's seat. "What the heck Janna?! You almost got me thrown off the bus!" the hybrid boy exclaimed

"Uh, your welcome?" Janna said sarcastically not taking her eyes off the road

When Marco was about to chastise Janna some more, he noticed that they were no longer moving towards a portal. Instead, they were now on a highway which conveniently had no other vehicles driving around, Jackie and Oskar seemed to notice this too.

"Woah, nice job Janna guess you really are a driver!" Oskar complimented

"I know," Janna said smugly before hearing Jackie speak to her too.

"Though I have to ask what happened to the other driver since when I got here, it wasn't you that was driving yet," the skater girl asked as if she was afraid of finding out the answer

"Oh, him? I dropped him off at Marco's front yard," Janna said nonchalantly.

"You what?!" Marco said outraged by the fact that Janna just got rid of the bus driver like that. However, Marco chose not to nag Janna about it for now since they still have to find a way to stop the bus though thankfully, they didn't have to worry about the portal at least.

"So, how do we stop the bus?" Jackie asked

"Isn't a bus supposed to have an emergency brake? Can't you, like, use it?" Oskar suggested

"Sure if you want to get into an accident," Janna said in a sarcastic tone.

"Darn. Well, at least we don't have a portal to worry about, right?" Oskar said trying to be enthusiastic

"Oh no," Jackie said in a panicked tone prompting Marco to turn to her to see that she was looking at her phone with a now panicked look.

"What is it, Jackie?" Marco said worriedly

"The highway we are currently on is still under construction, and at the rate, we're going it won't be long till we run out of road" she answered with panic even more evident on her face

"Then, that means?" Marco said who was now also beginning to panic

"We don't have a portal to worry about, but now we're gonna have to worry about crashing and maybe dying," Janna said in a calm tone. Due to how long Marco had known his weird friend, he could tell from her eyes that she was also panicking as well.

"We're gonna need Star then," Oskar said while he walks towards the door, planning to hopefully get their magical friend to stop the bus; however, he stopped when he heard Marco speak in a serious tone.

"No"

"No? Is something wrong with your head or something, dude?" Jackie asked, wondering why Marco would reject the idea of asking Star for help since she was probably the only one who could stop it at this point. Judging by the look Oskar and Janna was giving Marco they were probably thinking the same thing

"I have a plan, but first, I need to ask: do you guys trust me?" Marco said, with a look of determination so fierce that his friends had never seen before. Marco had always been a serious guy when the situation called for it, but there was something different this time. What he asked, he meant: did they trust him with their lives.

"Well, considering you trust me to break into your house without taking anything important, I think you already know my answer, Diaz," Janna said, answering first.

"Dude, of course, I trust you," Oskar said

"I think you already know my answer, so what's your plan," Jackie said while smiling reassuringly.

Marco smiled at the immediate support he got from his friends, who gave him the confidence he needed for what he's about to do. He then turned to Oskar, who was standing by the glass door.

"Ok, first close the door, Oskar, and lock it," Marco.

"Ok?" Oskar gave Marco a confused look but nonetheless still did as he was told.

Marco took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He then recalled the ability he was about to use. Marco learned of it sometime after the Blood Moon Ball. He could use energy that flowed through him, an energy that was the source of his glow. According to his father, this particular energy was known as the Light by Celestials.

**Play Avatar: The Last Airbender Theme Song (Get to 1:08, then pause the video) /watch?v=4wrevS-WCXg**

His father also told him that the Light is one of the Celestials' greatest asset, especially when it comes to defending themselves. Like their matter manipulation, they could shape it into physical constructs and serve as an extension of themselves as well as being capable of other things, which naturally, was more difficult to use. At least, according to some newborn Celestials in the past. When Marco heard this, he was excited at the thought of learning more about his Celestial half, so naturally, he asked his dad to teach him to use it. Unfortunately, his dad said that he wouldn't be able to do so as he was getting busier with his work but promised to teach him at a later date, which Marco agreed to.

He then decided to try learning more about it from the Celestial Journal instead, which, thankfully, was now had more available pages for him to read. Apparently, in the past, when bad people went after his kind, they would commonly use this energy to defend themselves against them. As a result, the Celestials developed many techniques that utilized this energy to its maximum potential. Unfortunately, only a handful of these moves were available in the Celestial Journal. For now, One of them was using the Light to form a shield around the user, which Marco was able to use when he and Star fought the shapeshifter.

Right now, Marco was going to use one of the most common techniques used. Despite it being a frequently used ability, it was still difficult to pull off which is why Marco was now focusing his mind

_Ok, Marco, you can do this. Ignore what they might think of you. For now, what's important is you prevent everyone from possibly dying,_ Marco thought as he begins to call forth his energy.

After a few seconds, Marco felt the Light flow through him once more, just like in the Underworld. He opened his eyes, which were now glowing white. He then felt the cracks revealing themselves all over his body, glowing brighter and brighter with each second. He could feel his friends concern, but Marco chose to ignore them for now as he would explain everything to them, as his Dad did to Star after he stopped this bus from crashing.

"Guys, I can see the end of the highway!" Janna said with panic being evident in her voice this time prompting Marco to hurry with whatever he's about to do

As balls of energy formed in the palm of Marco's hands, he then slammed them down onto the floor. At first, nothing happened and when Oskar was about to say something the bus suddenly started shaking causing it to swerve a little

"Woah, what's going on!" Janna said as she tried to get the bus under control, she then looked into the side mirror and her eyes widened at what she saw

**Stop the Video**

On the side of the bus were what looked like a tentacle made of light blue energy, then more light tendrils emerged from the side of the bus.

* * *

**Back with the two figures**

"Hmm, are you recording this love?" Kirk questioned his companion

"Already on it" the woman who was now wearing an eyepiece answered.

"This is just the proof we need to convince the remaining members," Kiri said.

* * *

**Meanwhile on the bus roof**

Star could feel herself getting tired. She was able to get rid of some of Ludo's minions by sending them flying off the bus, plus the bus' earlier sudden turn contributed to it. However, the remaining monsters proved to be very persistent, which was why she was preparing to use Turbo Nuclear Butterfly Blast to end the fight in one shot.

When she was about to chant it, she felt the bus suddenly started shaking, causing her and everyone to stop fighting.

"What are you idiots standing around for? Get me that Wand!" Ludo ordered his monsters. They were about to charge Star once again when all of a sudden, a tentacle made of energy emerged from the bus shocking everyone except for Star, who was familiar with it. It was one of the moves Marco told her about that he was practicing with; however for him to use it means.

_Oh no, Marco!_ Star thought, knowing that if Marco had used it, then his cracks had most likely shown themselves.

_I have to get to him!_ The blonde Princess mentally declared as she aimed her Wand at the Monsters, who were still distracted by the light tendrils. However, before she could fire her spell, the tendrils slammed themselves at Ludo and his minions, sending them flying off the bus. When one of the tendrils was about to strike her, it stopped in it's tracks before pulling itself back down

Seeing her chance, Star immediately ran back down to get to her bestie. She felt a bit relieved when she saw he wasn't among the guests meaning that no one saw him use his powers yet. She then saw that the glass door in front was closed, encouraging her to run towards it only to find that it was locked.

"Marco! Marco! Marco!" Star yelled as she repeatedly kicked the door, which proved to be more durable than it looked.

"Oh my God, what is that!" Star heard one of the guests yell while looking out a window.

* * *

**Back with the two figures**

"Alright, that's enough we got all the evidence we need," Kiri said to his companion as he got up from his seat as he watched what was happening down below.

"Aww and just when things are getting interesting" The woman pouted but nonetheless complied as she brought up the hologram of the disk on her armbands. She then pressed the hologram, it then revealed the words deactivated on it.

"Let's go. The boss will want to see this," Kiri said as he held out his hand before a dark portal appeared in front of him before entering it.

"Goodbye, Earth," the woman said sadly before entering the portal as well, which then vanished.

* * *

**Back with Marco**

Marco was panting heavily. He could feel the overexertion of his powers was taking a toll on his body. By now, the cracks were almost certainly visible, and his friends would probably be freaking out. That didn't matter to him, though. All that mattered was that he kept them safe. Pushing past the pain he felt, he willed the Light within him to create more of the light tendrils

**Play Avatar: The Last Airbender Theme Song (Start at 1:08) /watch?v=4wrevS-WCXg**

He could feel them sprouting out of the bus, six in total. With all his willpower, he then directed them to stop the bus while getting rid of Ludo's flunkies. With a mighty heave, they dug into the asphalt like roots from a plant, one of them pausing to swat Ludo and his allies away before joining his brethren. With a groan, Marco then had the tendrils dig into the highway with all his might, letting the bus bleed off speed before finally coming to a stop.

**End Music.**

Marco was now panting heavily as he felt the strain of using more energy than he was used to taking its toll on his body. Nonetheless, he was able to successfully stop the bus, but now he would have to deal with the aftermath seeing the look his friends were giving him.

They were about to speak when the glass door was suddenly kicked open, causing Marco to get a panic look. However, he immediately calmed down when he saw that it was just Star

"Marco! What-" Star was unable to finish her sentence when she saw the state her bestie was in.

Marco looked the same as he did after his fight with Tom with his face covered in cracks that most likely extended towards the rest of his body, he was also now kneeling on the ground visibly panting all in all this made He had just enough energy left in him to look up, though, and whisper her name. After that, he promptly fell to the ground, unable to move any more.

Jackie, Janna, and Oskar were about to speak, but Star beat them to the punch.

"Ok so you guys probably have a bunch of questions about Marco," Star said a bit nervously.

"Um, yeah," Janna said. For once, she was stumped.

"Right right right, but I think it's better if we talk about this back at Marco's house" Star then raised her Wand before chanting "Summoning Cloudy Charm!". A big pink cloud, which, for some reason, had a face on it, suddenly poofed into existence.

" Hi, Star! How can I help you!?" The pink cloud said in a bubbly tone

"Can you get us back to Marco's house, Cloudy?" Star asked

"You betcha. Hop on" the cloud now known as cloudy said before Star hopped on top of him. Star then patted the side next to her before saying, "Come on, guys, let's go!"

"Cool," Janna said before hopping next to Star.

"Comi--Argh," Marco yelped in pain as he fell over trying to get up.

"Dude, are you alright?!" Oskar said worriedly as he helped Marco get up

"Marco! do you need me to cast the spell?!" Star said in concern seeing the guests along with Brittney were now making their way towards them

"No need," Marco said before conjuring a white mask and putting it on his face, effectively covering his cracks in the process while his friends, except for Star, looked at him in a mixture of awe and concern.

"Ok, if no one else is going to say it, then I will: what the fuck was that, and how did you do it?"

"I'll *pant* explain when we get home," Marco said in a tired tone.

"Dude, are you sure you're alright? you don't look so good" Jackie asked in concern as she walked over to help Marco as well

"Never better," Marco said in a tired tone as Jackie and Oskar carried him towards cloudy before Star and Janna helped him sat down on it. Jackie and Oskar then hopped onto the pink cloud as well. Thankfully Cloudy was big enough to accommodate all of them without causing any discomfort.

"Alright Cloudy, get us home!" Star yelled enthusiastically before the cloud mount took off at a surprisingly high speed. Star looked back to the bus and was relieved to see that the light tendrils had vanished, and she also saw Brittney outside yelling something about a ruined party though she chose to ignore it focusing on getting Marco and her friends back to the latter's house.

"So, any reason why you chose not to use the dimensional scissors Star?" Janna asked

"I left them back home hehe," Star answered while smiling sheepishly. Though she was wondering why Janna wasn't asking anything about Marco, considering what she and the others witnessed earlier. However, Star chose to keep quiet about it until they arrive back at Marco's house, which didn't take long due to Cloudy's speed.

"We're here!" Star announced after they have finally reached Marco's house front yard. She then hopped off Cloudy with her friends doing the same. However, Jackie and Oskar had to help Marco get off due to him still being unable to walk on his own though they still didn't say anything to him. For a moment Star wondered if they were afraid of him, but she immediately pushed the thought away

"Thanks, Cloudy, you're the best!" Star said gratefully

"Love you Star," the sentient cloud said

"Aww, stop it you," Star said while blushing, she then raised her Wand and zapped Cloudy to poof him away. As Cloudy began fading, though, he was screaming in agony, which freaked everyone out. Except for Janna.

"I can walk on my own guys," Marco said

"Are you sure, dude? You don't have to force yourself, you know?" Jackie said in concern

"I'm sure," Marco said as Jackie and Oskar allowed him to stand on his own. At first, it looked like he was about to fall over again. Fortunately, he managed to balance himself now. He then removed his mask to show his face, which was still covered in cracks.

"Dang those are some cool scars," Janna said while snapping a picture with her phone. While it could be taken as her being insensitive, Jackie could tell that she was concerned about Marco as well. Just in her own, Janna way.

"*sigh* they're not scars, Janna. They're...something else." Marco said, mentally bracing himself for what was to come.

"*Sigh Let's just get this over with," Marco said as he walked to the front door before knocking on it.

"Coming!" they heard a familiar voice from inside, followed by shuffling noises and barking. After a few more seconds, the door opens to reveal Rafael, who was wearing a bathrobe while holding a laser puppy.

"Marco! How was the-" Rafael's eyes widened when he saw the state his son was in.

"Marco, what happened to you?!" Rafael said worriedly as he brought his hands up to Marco's face inspecting the cracks all over his face; however, he stopped when he noticed that Marco's friends were behind him who all had looks that were a mix of worry and confusion.

"Marco, do they?" Rafael asked already having an idea of what happened which was confirmed when Marco nodded

"Do you need me to?"

"No Dad. I think I want to be the one to explain it did this time," Marco said while giving his father a reassuring smile. His father then hugged him before saying "If you need me I'll be in the kitchen" he then walked away

"Come on guys, let's talk about this in the living room," Marco said while walking into his house with his friends following him.

Marco and his friends were all now in the living room. Jackie, Janna, and Oskar proceeded to sit down on the couch while Star and Marco were sitting on chairs. After sitting down, what followed next was an uncomfortable, awkward silence with no one wanting to speak first.

"*Cough*."

After a few more seconds Marco had enough and decided to speak up first.

"So you guys are probably wondering what happened back there," Marco said in a nervous tone.

"Yeah, and I think I will start off with what Janna asked earlier: what the fuck was that?" Jackie said.

"Was that magic?" Oskar added.

Meanwhile, Star, who was sitting next to Marco, noticed that Janna had a thoughtful look on her face. It was as if she was trying piece something together in her head. Star widened her eyes in realization as she recalls her conversation with Janna from earlier. Star elbows Marco to get his attention. Unfortunately, Star remembered too late that Marco's body was still sore from using his powers too much which was proven when he winced and yelped in pain.

"Gah! Star, what was that for!?" Marco said with a hint of annoyance in his tone while he rubs the spot Star elbowed. Star just gave him a sheepish smile while their friends couldn't help but snicker at this. This was at least able to lighten the mood as Star spoke up.

"Sorry, Marco. I know you want to explain what happened yourself buuutttt would it be ok if I explain it to them? Since I kinda owe Janna it as well," Star asked, taking Marco by surprise.

While Marco wanted to explain it himself, he wasn't exactly sure how he would begin. This was going to change everything for each of them, so he wanted to have a say in it. In the end, he reached his decision.

"Star, I think that we should both tell them," Marco said.

"Yeah, I think that you're right."

"Okay, can someone please tell me what the heck is going on already!?!?" Jackie finally interjected.

"Oh, right. So, I think I owe it to Janna. Hey, Janna, remember what you asked me before the party. About the Celestials?"

The mention of her name and the Celestials pulled Janna out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh yeah, what about it?"

"Well, you know how I told you that I didn't know anything about them? Welllll, that was a lie." Star said nervously.

"Well, duh. I knew that. I just figured I'd get the truth out of you later," Janna said nonchalantly. "Guess now's a good a time as any."

"Um, are me and Oskar the only ones who don't know what you guys are talking about?" Jackie interrupted, making the three realize that their two friends were in the dark.

"Oh, right, I never told you guys," Janna said before continuing. "Well, you know that UPhone that I got at Quest Buy and how it has access to the universal version of the Internet?"

"Yeah, you won't stop looking stuff up on it," Oskar added.

"Well, I found this site that listed the most dangerous beings in the universe. And at the very top of this list was the Celestials." Janna got out her UPhone and opened up the page she was talking about. "They're said to be these insanely powerful beings that no one's seen in centuries. I asked Star about them, since I figured her family would know something that others didn't. And it turns out I was right." Janna added that last part on with a smirk on her face.

"It's true, she was right." Star admitted. "But in my defense, I only learned about them a little while ago myself."

"Fair enough."

Jackie and Oskar wanted to ask what this has to do with what they saw Marco do, only for the boy to put his hand up, gesturing to ask them to finish.

"I think I should explain the next part, Star. Jackie, Oskar, Janna's not exaggerating when she says the Celestials are crazy powerful. They're able to manipulate matter on an atomic level and bend reality to their will. Star's magic may be amazing, but from what we've heard, that's nothing compared to a Celestial at full power. They're basically gods."

Star then picked up the story. "But all that power made all sorts of evil people try to take it for themselves. And if that were to happen, the universe could be destroyed. So, centuries ago, they all decided to go into hiding, and have been doing so ever since. Most people think they're myths now."

At this point, Janna spoke up. "At least, until a few weeks ago. Apparently, someone crashed that little dance that Star's ex invited her to. And then," Janna said as she opened up a video sharing site on her phone, "these videos started going viral on the UNet." Janna held up her phone so the five could see what she was talking about. In it, they could see some guy in a dress outfit wrecking Tom's s* and throwing him around like a ragdoll. There wasn't a clear view of his face, but they could make out these glowing lines coming out of it. Almost like cracks.

Cracks. Cracks. As that word echoed in her head, Janna looked at the guy in the video, and then at Marco. The gears in her head began to turn, and then, Janna's eyes widened. No way... the sheer shock made Janna nearly drop her phone.

Marco and Star didn't need to read minds to know what Janna was thinking: she knew. Jackie and Oskar, though, were still confused.

"All right, this is cool and all, but what's this got to do with Marco?" Jackie asked.

Janna turned to look at her two friends. "Guys, don't you get it? The incredible powers. The markings on this guy's face, and how Marco's got the exact same ones. There's only one explanation!" At this, Jackie and Oskar stopped looking at the phone and towards their longtime friend.

Marco sighed, hoping that he would have the strength for what he was about to say. "Yes, Janna. I'm...a Celestial."

No one spoke. The silence was so deafening that you could drop a penny and everyone would hear it.

Jackie and Oskar just sat there with their jaws hanging. Janna, though, was grinning like crazy.

Finally, Oskar broke the silence. "Um, so that mean that Marco's basically God?"

"More like a god with a little g. And no, I'm not a god. At least, not fully a god. Or fully a Celestial."

Jackie held her head in confusion, trying to wrap her whole mind around everything. "I'm sorry, but can you explain to me what that means? Are you a Celestial or god or not?"

"Jackie, you remember those old Greek myths we had to read in middle school? The ones where the gods would sometimes come down and have kids with humans and they'd be half-human, half-god? Or, for a more contemporary example, the Percy Jackson series?" Marco asked her. Jackie nodded her head.

"Well, in this case, I'm Percy Jackson, the Half-Blood. I'm half-Human, half-Celestial."

"So, uh, which one of your parents is the..." Oskar began to ask hesitantly.

"Celestial? That would be my Dad, who's sitting in the kitchen and probably listening to everything we're saying."

"It's true! I can hear everything!" Mr. Diaz said enthusiastically

"So, that means that your Mom was human, right, Marco?" Jackie asked.

Marco sighed at this. "Yeah, she was." Jackie, Oskar, and even Janna felt bad about bringing up his Mom. They never met her since she died when Marco was a baby, but they knew how much she meant to him and his dad.

"So, how long have you been able to do these kinds of things, then?" Jackie asked.

"Since I was little. But since I'm the only Celestial hybrid in existence, my Dad told me that I should keep my powers a secret. At least, until I was old enough to master them. But then I met Star and started exploring the universe. And to make a long story short, a bunch of things happened that made me overuse my powers. And this" Marco gestured to his face, "was the end result."

Janna finally stopped grinning, took a long look at Marco, and then finally spoke up. "So, Diaz, I just got one question for you."

"And that is?"

"Is this why I could never take your wallet? Or why you never bothered to get your house keys back whenever I took them?"

"Wait, what? Seriously, Janna. I just told you that I'm possibly one of the most powerful beings in the universe, and your first concern is why your pranks never seem to work?"

"Yeah. Because it's not going to stop me from pranking you, what, did you think we'd stop being your friends just because we find out your basically a demigod?" Janna said this in a manner-of-fact tone.

"Yeah, what do you take us for idiots?" Oskar said while strumming his keytar

"Yeah, Marco, why would you even think that?" Jackie added

"You know I said the exact same thing to him when he told me" Star said proudly.

"Well that's not surprising since Marco tends to overthink things sometimes" Janna said

"Hey!" Marco protested causing everyone to laugh.

"So Marco as a Celestial Hybrid what can you do? I've heard that your kind could do tons of awesome stuff" Janna questioned eagerly after all she had been obsessed with meeting a Celestial only to find out that she already know and was friends with while Jackie and Oskar were also curious to know more about their friends new status as a demigod.

"Well get comfy guys cause according to Star I tend to rant when explaining this stuff"

"What it's true!" Star interjected

"I know" he chuckled. "So first of all..."

Marco's human friends then spent the rest of the evening, learning more about him, all the while Rafael, who had been listening, nodded his head in approval.

* * *

**Wong Mansion**

Brittney had just arrived back at her house with her new laser puppy in one hand and a gift on the other.

The girl was really pissed off because not only did Star Butterface ruin her party she had the nerve to suddenly disappear with the rest of her friends, plus she had to walk back home due to the bus not working and with the driver missing her phone died preventing her from calling her Butler.

Now she was at the front door of her home, which was a large mansion. Brittney then put down the puppy she was holding softly to avoid hurting it before knocking on the door angrily.

After a few seconds, the door was opened by a butler who greeted Brittney with a bow "Welcome home milady, how was the party?" Normally Brittney would ignore her servants, but this particular Butler had been with her since she was a kid, so she kinda saw him as a father figure due to her parents always being away on business trips

"Terrible Geoffrey, some freak ruined my party," Brittney said as she walked inside. "By the way, have mother and father got home yet?"

"I'm sorry milady, but it seems your parents won't be able to come home this year again" Geoffrey answered as he closed the door.

"No surprise there," Brittney said with a scoff.

"However they did tell me to wish you a Happy Birthday," Geoffrey said with a smile

Brittney couldn't help but smile at him back "Thank you Geoffrey" She then picked up the puppy and handed it to the butler "Please make sure to bathe him and get him a collar."

"Yes Milady" Geoffrey then took the laser puppy which was barking happily in his hands while shooting lasers from its eyes though the Butler was unfazed by this as he walked away to with the puppy to get it cleaned up

Brittney made her way to her room with the present in her hand. After arriving in her room she recalled when the idiot Barfo had landed on her and had the nerve to grope her, of course, she made sure to slap him really hard even now her face would blush every time she remembered the incident luckily she was able to hide her blush.

She then looked at the present she was carrying, which had the word 'From Marco Diaz" written on it.

She then unwrapped the present after removing the last of the wrapper she finally saw what it contained. It was a bracelet which was made out of pearls on the pearls was the word Brittney Wong engraved onto it.

"Stupid Barfo" Brittney whose face had a blush again, muttered to herself while lying down on her bed. She then placed the bracelet next to a picture frame on a drawer next to her bed. On the picture was what appeared to be a toddler Brittney sitting next to a toddler Marco.

* * *

**Celestial Journal**

**Light tendrils-one of the Celestial's most common use of their energy. This ability involves shaping one's energy into tentacles that can be manipulated fairly easily to do almost any tasks once formed. Though it should be noted by newborn Celestials that this ability can be difficult for first timers.**

* * *

**Author's note:****Woah that was a long chapter. I'm sorry that I took so long, I've been getting busier with stuff at home. Anyways I have an announcement, this story will be going into a two weeks hiatus. The reason is that I want to focus on my side story Mutants and Magic. My goal is to get at least two chapters done for it and should I finish early I'll immediately continue writing the main story regardless if the hiatus isn't over yet.**

**Well that's all I have to say. as always thank you for the favorites, reviews ,and follows I really appreciate it. Again sorry for the long wait, I spent extra time giving extra characterization to the characters especially Brittney. Let me know what you think about the chapter in the review**

**Review Responses**

**OMAC001- hahaha sorry but no however they are involved with Celestials along with their other yet to be revealed teammates in some way so your guess is not entirely off the mark**

**demiwizard202- well I hope you were satisfied with the update**

**Starco4everr- thank you**

**Masked Freak- the reason is that unlike the canon. Marco see Janna as a friend here with Janna doing the same. While she still messes with Marco she respects his privacy and therefore knows when her pranks would go too far at least with him. Your guess is correct. Who knows? hehe**

**Anyways everyone feel free to Review and Critic along with favoriting and following**

**Rothem Out!**

**Peace!**


	20. The Breakfast Run

**Somewhere in an unknown dimension**

"So Star, you wanna tell me *yawn* why exactly we're here?" came the curious and slightly sleepy voice of Janna Ordonia, still in her outfit from the party the night before, as she typed something on her phone.

Currently, the two girls were walking through some sort of jungle. However, Janna had figured out that it wasn't like any jungle found on Earth. At least, not in the present day. All of the plants and insects that the girl had seen were familiar. She swore that she had seen them in an old book on prehistoric Earth that Marco had shown her.

"Huh? I thought I already told you?" Star answered as she used her Wand to blast away a large bush in front of them.

"Not really," Janna answered, not taking her eyes off her phone.

"Huh, I could've sworn I did," Star thought while rubbing her chin as she recalled earlier that morning.

**Flashback to earlier at the Diaz Household**

Jackie and Janna were fast asleep on a blow-up mattress in Star's room, courtesy of Marco. After the party's events and the revelation that Marco was a demigod, his friends had wound up talking to him long into the night. When they realized what time it was, they just decided to spend the night at the Diaz house. The girls slept in Marco's room, while Oskar stayed in Marco's. They didn't have school the next day, so they could afford to do so.

As Janna remained fast asleep in her favorite dream (which involved conquering the world with an undead army), a shadow loomed over her. "Janna," the figure whispered to her.

"Ugh five more minutes," Janna said groggily as she rolled over to Jackie's side, causing the figure to scratch its head in annoyance.

"Janna," the figure whispered again while shaking Janna a little. However, there was no verbal response from the sleeping girl this time other than a groan and making dismissive gestures towards the dark figure.

The shadowy figure grabbed an object from behind her, which turned out to be Star's Wand, now glowing a pinkish hue. Standing up, the figure then quietly chanted, "Super wake up slap."

A beam of energy then shot from the Wand materializing into what looked like a pair of white gloves. The gloves then proceeded to their sleeping target with one glove holding Janna by her shirt while the other glove raised itself before swinging towards Janna's face and then-

***SMACK!***

With a small resounding slap, Janna instantly jolted awake " It wasn't me! Marco was the one who stole the diamond!" the beanie-wearing girl yelled while waving her arms around frantically. After a brief moment, Janna calmed down and stopped waving her arms around once she saw who exactly had woken her up from her peaceful slumber.

"Star?" Janna said in a sleepy tone while looking at the figure revealed to be Star all along. "Any particular reason you decided to wake me up at," Janna looked at the time on her phone "3 am?" she said, not in the least annoyed with how rudely she was woken up by her magical friend.

"Wanna come with me to another dimension?" Star said with a wide smile on her face.

"Eh, why not? Let me just change out of my pajamas," Janna answered, shrugging.

**Back in the Present.**

"Yep, pretty sure I did!" Star declared enthusiastically before proceeding to blast away a giant log in front of her.

Janna continued to type away at her phone. "I'm pretty sure asking me to go with you to another dimension doesn't count."

"Oh... well, I might as well explain then," Star then blasted away another log in front of them as she told Janna why they were currently where they were.

**About 10 Minutes before Star Woke up Janna**

Star slowly opened the door to his room, not wanting to wake up her temporary roommates. After quietly closing the door behind her, she then tip-toed past Marco's room. She didn't even want to make the wooden floorboards creak. When she finally made it to the stairs, she let out a relieved sigh before proceeding to go down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Okay now, where did Marco put those cookbooks of his again?" Star thought out loud. Ever since Star had learned the truth, Marco had begun using them more openly, including when he wanted to make them dinner. He even kept a cookbook, so he knew what ingredients he needed to add. The only exception was his Super Awesome Nacho's; they both agreed they were better hand made.

_Hmmm, I wonder if I could get Marco to work as a chef in the castle back in Mewni when my stay here is over. He did say he would eventually leave Earth at some point._ Star's line of thought was interrupted when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Star?" came a familiar voice from behind her, making her jump in place before turning around to see Rafael, who was wearing a bathrobe standing by the kitchen entrance with a sleeping laser puppy in his hand. Even after she learned her hosts were practically gods, she had refused to see them any differently. Unlike Marco, though, whenever she saw Mr. Diaz, some tiny part of her would feel nervous. The thoughts didn't last long, though.

"Mr. Diaz!" Star yelled in surprise though she immediately covered her mouth with her hand remembering that the others were still asleep and the sleeping laser puppy in Rafael's hand "What are you doing up?" she added a bit quiet this time

"Well, I heard some noises from the kitchen, and I thought that those possums might have gotten in again," Rafael asked while sitting down on a chair by the table "Anyways, what are you doing up so early? Usually, it's Marco who gets up first to prepare breakfast."

"Yeah, about that," Star said while looking to the side nervously. "You don't happen to know where Marco's cookbook is, do you?" she added while opening a cabinet only to groan in annoyance, seeing that it doesn't contain said book she was looking for.

"Oh? What for?" Rafael said surprised while giving Star a knowing smile though said princess didn't notice but answered nonetheless.

"Oh, you know, just wanna try making earth foods myself," Star said while looking into another cabinet only to be met with the same result.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that even I have no idea where my mijo keep that cookbook of his," Rafael said while petting the sleeping laser puppy.

"Awwww," Star groaned while taking a seat in front of Rafael before slamming her head into the table in frustration.

"But, I could lend you mine." Rafael offered

"Really?" Star raised her head, "You have one, Mr. Diaz?"

"Well, of course. Who do you think cooked for Marco when he was just cute little angel," Rafael said as he recalled Marco's childhood days with a nostalgic look on his face. He then stood up and said, "Wait here. I'm going to go get it" before walking out of the kitchen, leaving Star alone with the sleeping laser puppy.

"Oh, Sajak, I wish my mom was like Mr. Diaz," Star said in a sad tone as she petted the sleeping laser puppy

A few seconds later, Rafael then entered the kitchen, carrying a book with a yellow cover. He then sat down while placing the book in front of Star. "Here you go, Star, my old cookbook."

"Ooooh," Star said as she picked up the cookbook which had on the cover the title that read "Gardener's Guide to Interdimensional Cooking" "Wait, who's Gardener?"

"Oh, he's an old friend of mine. He's a Celestial as well," Rafael answered.

Upon hearing this, Star eyes widen before gasping in surprise, "Oh my glob, this book was made by a Celestial?"

"Yep, now I'll be going back to bed, so I'll just leave you to it" Rafael stood up from his chair while picking up the sleeping Sajak before leaving the kitchen.

"See you later, Mr. Diaz" Star waved to Rafael before turning her attention back to the book.

"Alright, let's see what we have here," she said before flipping open the book. On the first page were the words "Property of S." Some sort of black ink obscured the rest of the name. Below the covered name were the words "The Gardener". However, Star paid no mind to it, and instead of starting on the first page, she flipped the book repeatedly until she stopped on a random page.

"Okay, what do we have here," Star thought out loud but was dismayed when she saw that the book was in an unknown language, "What? I can't read this" The princess then thought of asking Mr. Diaz to translate it for her, hoping that he wasn't asleep yet. However, before she could even get up, the words on the book suddenly started changing much to her shock. When she looked at the page again, she saw that she could now understand the writings.

"Wow," Star said in amazement before reading the page "Jurassic omelet, a delicious breakfast food that goes well with any kind of bread." Star then saw next to it was a picture of what's presumably is the said omelet with what looked like a green-colored bread loaf next to it which was able to make her drool a little again due to how tasty it looks, she then looked at the ingredient which surprisingly only had one. "Ingredient: an egg of any kind located in Dimension T-R810, also known as the Kingdom of Sauria." Star then noticed a small note attached to it. "Created millions of years ago by one of my brethren, the Dimension of Sauria was initially created to be a preserve for creatures found in the Earth dimension millions of years ago. However, some species of reptiles brought over unexpectedly evolved and gained sentience. Learning to overcome their ancestral predator/prey dynamic, these intelligent reptiles, which my colleague dubbed 'Saurians,' built their civilization, creating the Kingdom of Sauria."

"Kingdom of Sauria? Hey, I know that place!" Star said, recognizing the dimension mentioned in the book.

**Back to the Present**

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Janna said, asking Star to back up. "So you're telling me that there's an entire dimension populated by the descendants of the freaking dinosaurs found on Earth millions of years ago. And more importantly, you never made the connection?"

Star thought about what her friend had asked before answering. "Yes, apparently, no, and I'm also a friend of their leader," Star said rather proudly with a smug smile.

"Are you sure about that?" Janna asked

"Of course, duh, we're practically best friends. However, he's not as great as Marco or Ponyhead. Why do you ask?" Star said

"Cause that sign says otherwise," Janna pointed behind Star.

"What Sign?" Star then turned around to see the sign her friend was referring to. "Oh, that sign." upon seeing what was written on it, the blonde princess got a shocked look on her face.

On the sign was written, **"Welcome to the Kingdom of Sauria. All visitors welcome. Except for Star Butterfly; she's still banned!"- Tiberius Rex XIV**

"Dang Star, what did you do to get banned here?" Janna asked, having now put away her phone in one of her pockets. The tone in her voice, though, suggested that she was impressed with her Princess friend.

"I have no idea. Oh well, I'll just ask him if we run into him. Anyways to that creepy looking cave!" Star said while pointing to a nearby cave entrance shaped like a skull that Janna took a picture of. Star and Janna wasted no time running into the cave, only to be met with darkness.

"Hey Star, you got a spell to make this place brighter or something?" Janna asked while using her phone's flashlight feature to illuminate their path.

"Hmm, I got just the thing!" Star then raised her Wand and chanted "Solar Flare Ball Blast!" Star's Wand then shot out blue energy, which formed into a glowing orb that was able to light the area they were in a blue glow.

"Come on Janna, the egg is just at the end of this cave," Star said to her beanie-wearing friend who followed suit.

"So this dinosaur egg.. you're just going to use it to make an omelet?" Janna asked as Star they turned a corner.

"Of course, what else would we use it for?" Star said

"I don't know maybe hatch it and keep it as a pet to terrorize peo- I mean Ludo and his goons maybe even eat them," Janna said casually as if there was nothing wrong with what she just said and the thoughtful look on Star's face would suggest that she was considering it which soon turned into an excited one.

"That's a great idea, Janna, though I still need to make the omelet, so we'll just get two eggs instead!" Star said excitedly while Janna got a mischievous look on her face imagining all the pranks she could pull with a pet dinosaur especially if it was a T-rex

While the thought of those pranks was able to excite Janna(she didn't show it on her face) she was beginning to get bored with their quiet trip through this cave until she came up with an idea to pass the time

"Hey, Star wanna listen to some stories about the things me and Marco used to get into?" Janna asked though she already knew what her friend's answer was going to be.

"Would I?!" Star answered excitedly.

"Alright erhem," Janna cleared her throat in an overly dramatic way which Star didn't mind before speaking in what could only be described as one of those Narrator's voice in movies "Once upon a time back when Ferguson and Alfonzo were still with us..."

**A Few Years Earlier**

An eight-year-old Marco was sitting on the living room couch next to a short, overweight boy with orange hair. The two of them were hard at work on some sort of watch when an eight-year-old Janna walked into the room alongside another kid who had curly brown hair and glasses.

"Hey, you guys ready for lunch?" the glasses-wearing boy asked.

"Just a sec, Alfonso," Marco answered, not taking his eyes off the device he was working on.

"Whatcha doing?" Janna asked while sitting down next to Marco while the glasses-wearing boy sat next to the orange-haired boy.

"Oh, Ferguson's mom got him a Fitbit so that she can track how much he's been exercising. So he asked me to tweak it so that it looks like he's been jogging," Marco said while pointing to said boy before continuing to tinker with the watch.

"That'll teach her to care about your health," Janna said sarcastically with a smirk.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see the look on her face when I die young" the overweight boy now known as Ferguson answered with a proud smile.

"When was the last actual exercise you got?" Alfonso asked.

"The other day, when she tried to put that Fitbit on me, and I ran away from her," Ferguson answered.

"According to a recent study, simply thinking about exercise can have physical benefits even while sitting still. For all you know, I could be exercising right now," Alfonso said.

"Is that so Alfonzo? So are you doing it now?" Asked Marco.

"Nah, I'll do it tomorrow," Alfonzo said.

"It wouldn't be the worst thing if we were more active" suggested Marco as he handed Ferguson the device he had just finished working on.

"You make an excellent point. Ooh, I think I'm getting a runner's high," Ferguson said as he set his modified device to work harder.

**In Marco's room**

The four kids were now in Marco's room with Alfonzo using Marco's laptop to search up different sports available in Echo Creek.

"Look at all these activities the town has. Rock climbing club, archery, Karate, Flags" Alfonzo listed off the different sports.

"You had me at Karate, lost me at Flags," Marco commented.

"While as entertaining it would be to watch you guys exercise, but do you think sports is the right choice for you?" Janna questioned

"What are you saying? We're not coordinated enough to play sports?" Marco frowned, offended by what his friend said.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying plus the time Ferguson twisted his ankle playing Scrabble," Janna snickered.

"I got a triple-word score with a double letter Q. If that's not a time to bust out the scrabble dance, what's the point of having one?" Ferguson argued

"Hey, there's a new fencing club in school," Marco pointed to a website he saw on the laptop.

"Interesting. Fencing does meet most of our requirements for sports right, Ferguson?" Alfonzo asked his overweight friend.

"It's indoors, so no sunscreen," Marco said

"No throwing, no catching, no running" Ferguson added

"No gym shorts that can be yanked down," Alfonzo added.

"Or worse, up," Marco, Alfonzo, and Ferguson said at the same time while giving their Beanie-wearing friend Janna a narrowed eyed look. Said girl only gave a mischievous smirk in return.

The group of kids (except for Janna) spent the next few minutes arguing which sports they should take but eventually decided on fencing. Marco protested heavily, though, saying if they took Karate, they could be like the heroes in Dragon Ball Z.

**At the school gym**

Marco, Alfonzo, Ferguson, and Janna stood at the school. They were all wearing fencing armor, which consisted of protective padding all over their body, boots, and a protective helmet that they hadn't worn yet due to the teacher not arriving, however.

"I feel cool. Like Puss in Boots," Marco said while looking at his boots.

"I always wanted to be a swashbuckler when I was a kid," Ferguson said while swinging his sword.

"Technically, the swashbuckler is a combination of two terms. Swash refers to the sound of the sword," Alfonzo said while swinging his rapier to demonstrate. "And then buckler, meaning a small shield, which you don't have."

"We can still be swashers" Marco said

"Well said, Puss" Janna said earning another narrowed eyed look from Marco. When Marco was about to retort he was cut off when the fencing teacher walked into the gym. The teacher was already wearing his fencing equipment including the helmet which prevented anyone from seeing his face and on his chest was name tag that read Barry

"Children, welcome to the fencing cwub. Before we start, I just want to warn you, fencing isn't a joke. I hope you're not here because you think it's going to be wike Star Wars" The teacher said with a French accent

"That's not why we're here" Marco defended since he actually wanted learn fencing since his father has been telling him lately that he should try working out

"Yeah, I'm here because I think it's gonna be like Game of Thrones" Alfonzo said

"And maybe a little Star wars" Ferguson added

"Nah I'm just here cause I want to stab somebody" Janna said nonchalantly while pointing her rapier at Marco who instinctively took a step back from her

"Well, sowwy to disappoint you, but fencing is a sewious spowt. If you're not wiwwing to put in the effowt, you might as well just weave now" the teacher said seriously

"We're not afraid of physical activity!" Marco declared

"Yeah. I already ran 18 miles today" Ferguson said while proudly showing off his Fitbit device to everyone

"Awwight. Let's begin with some fundamentals. This is the en garde position. Feet are in an L. Heels in a stwaight wine. Elbow is about a fist from the wib cage. Notice my dominant weg faces fowward" The teacher explained while demonstrating the position in order to show everyone how it is properly done

"Oh, dear" Alfonzo said while looking at his legs

"*Sigh* What's wong?" the teacher asked though there was a hint of annoyance in his tone that only Janna was able to pick up on

"Well, I'm not sure I have a dominant leg. They're both pretty submissive" Alfonzo said

"When you're in a public restroom, which foot do you flush the toilet with?" Marco asked his friend

Alfonzo then raised his right leg before answering "Right. Always right"

"He's a righty" Marco whispered to the teacher

"Okay, show me en garde"the teacher instructed which everyone complied with by getting to said position "Good. Knees bent, swightwy over the toe. Non-sword hand up for bawance" Barry instructed

"Oh, God, I am going to feel this tomorrow" Ferguson complained as the teacher corrected his pose.

After the teacher had corrected everyone's pose he then moved on to the next step "The first move is called an advance. You move your fwont foot fowward, heel to toe. Back foot fowwows. So fwont foot fowward, heel to toe. Back foot fowwows" The teacher said as he demonstrated how to do it "Now you twy. Advance. And advance. And advance" The teacher instructed his students

"This is easy. I didn't need to wear a cup," Ferguson said as he performed the advance and retreat step without difficulty while the teacher nodded in approval.

"Good. The next move is called a retreat. Step back. Back foot first, toe to heel. Front foot forwards. On three-"

"Hey, Teach?" Janna interrupted the teacher

"Yes?"

"When can I stab one of my friends?" Janna nonchalantly asked. Though her friends who were standing next to her took a step away from her upon hearing this

"In fencing, we don't call it a stab. We call it a touch," the teacher corrected Janna.

"I'm aware. But if I say I want to touch one of my friends, I'll get sent to summer camp again."

In response to Janna's question, the teacher decided to pair everyone up with Marco being the unfortunate soul he is got paired up with Janna, who just gave an almost demonic grin that no one was able to see due to the helmet.

"Okay, on three, Dowittle and Owdonia advance, the rest of you retreat. One, two, three" Janna and Alfonzo did advance step while Marco and Ferguson retreated as instructed they repeated this every three counts by the teacher.

"Very good. Switch it up. One, two, three. Switch again. One, two, three-" The teacher was then cut off by a ringing sound coming from his phone.

Ring! Ring! Ring!*

"Excuse me." As soon as the teacher turned his back to answer the phone call, the kids started hacking away at each other in a comically unprofessional manner, with Janna even landing a few stabs at Marco, who was luckily protected by the padding but still flinched at each hit. When he tried to land a hit in retaliation, Janna would effortlessly block it before stabbing Marco again. While Alfonzo and Ferguson did the same but neither landing a hit due to both of them being terrible at it all the while the teacher was oblivious to what was happening behind him during his call.

"An hour tops. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Thanks, " The teacher said as he pockets his phone while at the same time the group behind him returned to their original post, "And one, two, three."

**Flashback Over**

"And that was how I became a fencing master," Janna said proudly with her normal voice as she finished her story.

"Wow, I can't believe you and Marco used to take fencing class," Star said until she realized what Janna just said. "Wait, only you became a fencing master? What about Marco and those other guys called Alfonzo and Ferguson?"

"Oh well, after Marco got repeatedly stabbed by yours truly" Janna said while pointing to herself with a smug smile. "He decided that he would rather take Karate instead of repeatedly getting skewered by me. While Alfonzo and Ferguson gave up on sports the next day"

"Oh so that's why Marco took up karate," Star said, and it was then that she noticed that they were now at the end of the cave "Hey look there's the nest!" the blonde pointed to a large nest seemingly made out of sticks and leaves situated in a corner.

"Sweet," Janna said after spotting the nest as well. The two teens approached the nest but were met with great disappointment. Instead of being met with fully intact eggs, it was instead filled with broken eggshells.

"Pegasus Feathers, we're too late," Star said, disappointed.

"And here I was hoping to get an actual dinosaur egg," Janna said also disappointed "Welp no point in staying here let's go Star" Janna started walking away from the best and when Star was about to walk away as well something caught her eye in a pile of leaves.

"Janna, wait!" Star called out to her trickster friend

"What?" Janna said walking back to the nest

"Look!" Star said, removing a bunch of piled up leaves to reveal that there was still one egg left.

"Well looks like Lady Luck decided not to be a total bitch today," Janna said

"Lady, who now?" Star said her face a look of confusion

"It's an Earth saying I'll tell you about it when we get back. Anyway, we should get this egg back to Marco's house," Janna said as she picked up the egg. "Man, I can't wait to hatch this egg" Janna then made her way towards the exit but found it blocked by Star.

"Mind moving out of the way? This egg ain't exactly light." Janna said referring to the egg she was holding which was twice the size of her head

"Sure, but only if you let me turn into an omelet instead of hatching it," Star said, narrowing her eyes.

"Hoho no way Butterfly," Janna said while also narrowing her eyes.

The two then continued to stare at each other silently for a few minutes until Janna spoke up again, "Rock, paper, scissors for it?"

"Deal"

Janna then gently put the egg on the floor. She then reeled her hand back with Star doing the same.

"Alright, Rock..." Janna started

"Paper..." Star continued

"Shoot!" they said at the same time.

"Alright!" Star yelled victorious showing that she had shot out scissor

"Crap!" Janna yelled seeing she had lost after she shot out paper "I'll trade you for the egg," Janna said seeing that Star was about to pick up the egg

"Hmm, I'm listening," Star said, pulling her hand back.

"Wanna hear about the time me and Marco got a watch?" Janna suggested

"Hmm, I don't know? I mean I'm planning to give this egg to Marco as a gift after I turn it into an omelet" Star said

"Come on Star," Janna urged. "You know you know you want to."

"Oh fine but after I hear the story," Star said

"Fine, but can I tell it while we get out of this cave?" Janna said, which Star nodded at while picking up the egg.

"Well then," Janna once again adjusted her voice to sound like a narrator. "Long ago though not too long, my dad decided to give me a watch..."

**Flashback to a year before the fencing class incident**

On a school bus, a 7-year old Marco could be seen reading something on his phone until he heard his friend a 7-year old Janna sitting next to him with some sort of antique watch in her hand groan in annoyance.

"This watch sucks!" Janna angrily yelled

"Janna! Language!" Marco scolded

Janna ignored her friend's scolding and instead proceeded to complain about the watch she was holding "it doesn't even tell the time. What the heck is V past X supposed to mean?" Janna said while showing Marco the watch, which turns out, had roman numerals

"Wait, did you get that from your dad?" Marco said having recognized the watch

"How did you know?" Janna asked

"When I went to your house the other day, He offered it to me before telling me this really long boring story full of people I didn't even know about, and I said 'No! I don't want no busted up cowboy junk'." Marco explained

It was then that Janna came up with an idea before grinning mischievously, "Do you mind holding this for a second? I need to tie my shoelace" Janna then handed Marco the watch.

"Sure," Marco then took the watch until realization hit him hard. "Wait, you don't wear shoes!" the boy said, remembering that his friend always wear boots. They, in fact, didn't have laces. Marco then saw that Janna had vanished from beside him.

It was then that Janna suddenly appeared on top of the seat behind Marco. "He who holds it owns it," Janna said before slowly going down the seat.

"Darn!" Marco yelled in frustration.

**Later**

Janna could be seen walking down the school corridor when Marco runs up to her.

"Okay, okay! I'll keep the watch. But on one condition, no more stealing my wallet?" Marco suggested

"Deal," Janna said before shaking hands with Marco, who now had a big grin on his face.

"Now check your hands," Marco said smugly.

"What this one?" Janna shows that her hand is empty "or this one," she shows her other hand, which is empty as well before saying, "Now check yours."

Marco then looks down to see that he was holding the watch in his hands much to his shock. "WHAT?!" he yelled before seeing that Janna had disappeared again. Marco looks around to see that Janna was now standing in the corner while she was moving her arms around her face like a magician before leaving.

"DOUBLE WHAT?!" Marco yelled in shock again.

**Later at the Ordonia house**

"I gave it to an old man," Marco said

"You did what?!" Janna outraged

"I said I gave it to an old man," Marco yelled, having taken Janna's words literally.

"Shh! I heard it the first time. It's just that you DON'T GIVE AWAY SOMEONE ELSES FAMILY HEIRLOOM TO SOME RANDOM GUY!" Janna said the last part angrily

"But I thought you were trying to get rid of it?" Marco defended.

"*Sigh* What's my dad gonna say now?" Janna said.

"How ungrateful you are?" Marco said, which earned him a glare from Janna.

"Nah, knowing him, he'll probably just cry about it," Janna nonchalantly said.

"What?!" Marco said, shocked at how Janna's dad would react, "We have to get it back then cause I really don't wanna watch someone's dad cry."

"Agreed. Things get awkward when that happens," Janna said.

**At a Senior Dance Club**

Marco and Janna were seen standing in front of a group of older people before approaching one who was wearing a red shirt and a fedora hat.

"Give us the watch old man," Janna demanded.

"Uh, what my friend meant to say was, can we please have the watch back?" Marco said politely

"I'd be more than happy to give this watch back if it belonged to you! But my name is Marvin Finklehimer, and this watch belongs to the Finklehimer family."

"Dude, did you really have to give it to a Finklehimer?" Janna said.

"Ha! Call that poetic justice," Old Man Marvin said smugly.

"Can you really turn down a helpless crying child?" Janna said making Marco give her a weird look

"You're not crying," Marvin said.

It was then that Janna started grunting to get herself to cry. Still, nothing happened.

"Are you crying or trying to lay an egg?" Marco asked as he continued to watch Janna struggle to cry until eventually, she stopped not even producing a single tear.

"Get off my lawn!" Marvin yelled

**Back at the Ordonia house**

Marco and Janna are in the kitchen eating cereal.

"What are gonna do?" Marco asked worriedly

"Well, we just have to agree to never speak about that watch again" Janna said eating a spoonful of cereal

"But I feel so guilty" Marco said

"We'll just deal with our emotions like grown-ups: push them down deep inside ourselves and ignore them for the rest of our lives." Janna took another bite of Cereal but this time didn't swallow it but instead spat it out

"What was that?" Marco asked

"I dunno I think I'm feeling... guilty?" Janna then got a horrified look at the realization that she was indeed feeling guilt "We have to get that watch"

"How?" Marco asked

"I have an idea," Janna said while smirking.

**At Marvin's house**

An ominous black-cloaked figure with a scythe rings the doorbell. When Marvin came out, he had a shocked look.

"I COME FOR YOU MARVIN," the figure said in an ominous demonic voice while pointing its skeletal hand at the old man who promptly gasped before fainting.

Marco and Janna immediately jumped out of the grim reaper, which turned out to be a costume.

"What have we done?!" Marco yelled frantically

Janna, though, couldn't care less as she grabbed the watch from the unconscious man's hand. She was about to leave when Marco called her.

"Where are you going? we can't leave him like this"

"Just give him CPR," Janna suggested while tapping her foot impatiently.

Marco then attempts to perform CPR on the unconscious man, but it is mostly futile due to Marco blowing air into the old man's mouth rather than a proper CPR.

"Hey, do it properly," Janna said.

"I'm not touching his mouth, it looks like the end of an elephant's trunk," Marco said.

"Ugh, hold on," Janna said before running into the house while Marco continues to do his "CPR." After a few seconds, Janna came out with a bunch of tissue paper in hand. She then puts them around Marvin's mouth " Don't go into the light old man." the girl said in a bored tone

"Okay, do it now," Janna said. However, when Marco was about to do the proper CPR, Janna stops him.

"No, wait!"

The two then saw that one of the tissue paper was moving, meaning that Marvin was still alive.

"Ah, thank God he's been breathing the entire time," Marco said while sighing in relief.

"Well, let's get outta here," Janna said while walking away with Marco following suit. "Wait for me!" leaving the unconscious old man lying on the floor.

**Flashback Over**

"After that, I decided to keep the watch that is until I found out my dad doesn't care about it and also when I found out it was worth a lot of money. So I sold it on eBay and bought a Voodoo Doll kit," Janna said, finishing her second story.

"So Star, was it worth it, or was it worth it?" Janna asked her friend, who was holding the dinosaur egg.

"Here," Star said while handing Janna the egg with a smile.

"Alright," Janna said victoriously she then noticed that they were now out of the cave. "Now use your scissors so we can get outta here.

" Sure thi-" Star said but was cut off when the ground shook

***Stomp***

"Uh, what was that?" Janna said before hearing the noise again this time accompanied with the ground shaking again

***Stomp***

Before Star could answer, an ear-piercing roar was heard, causing the two teens to cover their ears. After the sound ended, they heard a booming voice coming from the endless seas of trees.

"STAR BUTTERFLY!" the voice roared before a large

Tyrannosaurus Rex, but with bigger arms, emerged from the trees. Janna then noticed that had a crown on its head.

Janna was speechless both at the huge T-rex in front of them and the fact that it just spoke.

"Star Butterfly," the dinosaur spoke again with a growl.

"Oh, hi, Rexy!" Star waved happily seemingly unfazed by the massive T-rex in front of her

"That's not my name!" the dinosaur roared before it then cleared its throat "More important matters where do you think you're going with that egg?"

"Oh, you know back home," Star said ignorant of the T-rex's growing anger. "Anyway, nice catching up with you, Rexxy though me and my friend here really should get going."

"Oh no, you don't!" The T-rex said as it raised one of it's foot to flatten the two girls but before he could do so he was blasted by a blast from Star's wand

"Narwhal Blast!" Star chanted before using her dimensional scissors to open a portal while the dinosaur was distracted

"Let's go, Janna!" Star said while pulling her friend into the portal with her. When the portal closed, the T-rex had recovered from the blast. "Stupid Mewmans" the dinosaur grumbled as he got up

**Back at the Diaz Household**

A portal opened up in the living with Star and Janna landing on the floor with an oof sound.

"Star? Janna?" Came the voice of Marco, who was sitting on the couch with his cracks visible due to it not being concealed yet with Star's spell.

"Oh, hi, Marco!" Star said while standing up happy to see her best friend

"Sup Marco," Janna said as she also got up. "By the way here," Janna said while giving Marco the egg.

"What the heck is this?" Marco asked while inspecting the large egg he was just given

"It's a dinosaur egg," Janna said.

"Wait, I thought you wanted the egg, Janna?" Star asked

"Nah already got a wicked pet bird at home," Janna answered while sitting down on the couch.

"What do you want me to do with this, then?" Marco asked Star who got a wide smile on her face

"Well-" Star began but was cut off when the egg suddenly shook, which also got the attention of Janna.

When Marco opened his mouth to speak, the egg suddenly grew a crack before shaking even more after a few seconds; it stopped shaking.

Before anyone could react, the egg suddenly exploded with Marco taking the brunt of the hit. Though when the smoke subsided, he was unaffected except that his face was now charred and what was once an egg in his lap there was now what Janna recognized as a baby Ankylosaurus sitting on Marco's lap.

When the baby dinosaur looked around clearly confused until its eyes landed on Marco, who still had a confused look on his face, but before anyone could react, the baby got a wide smile on its face before saying "Papa" while wagging its tail like a dog in an adorable manner

"Congrats Marco, it's a boy!" Star who had snapped out of her confused state said enthusiastically

**Meanwhile in an unknown location in Mewni**

A familiar white-hooded woman could be seen walking down a corridor while whistling to herself. When she arrived at what looked like a vault door, she knocked on it seven times.

Knock, Knock, Knock...Knock, Knock, knock...Knock*

"What do we do?" came a dark voice from the other side.

"We secure, we contain, we protect," the woman answered back. She then heard a click from the other side before the door slowly opened to reveal Kurokiri standing there with his arms crossed, however, unlike before the armored being is noticeably shorter.

"Hey, what's with the serious face?" the woman said jokingly.

"There's been a breach," Kurokiri answered, which made the woman's once laid-back expression turn serious.

"Where?" she questioned in a serious tone.

"Outpost 601, Dimension K-87T1," Kurokiri answered as he beckons his wife to enter before closing the vault door.

The two of them were now standing in some sort of monitor room where what looks like people wearing lab coats are either working on a console or watching the monitors.

"Which one was it?" The woman asked as she looks through monitor after monitor until her eyes landed on a monitor showing what looks like a group SWAT looking guards creeping down a corridor with their weapons were drawn.

"SCP-682. The facility's security team has already located him" Kurokiri said when the guards on the screen entered a room with eight elevators walls, four on each side and without warning the guards started shooting at the guard station at the end of the room when they saw a silhouette behind a window.

"Hey Kiri isn't that the room where," The woman said as she continued to watch the guards pepper the station's window with bullets through the glass didn't even crack which the woman took note of

"Bulletproof glass. guess they decided to up it after the last breach in Outpost 273, huh?" The woman said to her husband. However, he gave no reply this time; his gaze focused solely on the monitor.

"Initiate a full site lockdown of outpost 601," Kurokiri ordered, surprising everyone in the room except for his wife.

"Sir?" one of the workers asked, confused.

**"Do it,"** Kurokiri ordered with his voice turning nightmarish, scaring the poor worker who nonetheless complied by picking up a communicator.

"Too late," The woman said, confusing the workers. When the same worker from before was going to ask what she meant, a loud beeping sound was heard from the monitor they were watching. They even saw the lead guard hold it's fist up to order his teammate to stop shooting.

The sound of elevators moving could be heard; however, the guards seemed confused by it, prompting them to point their weapons at each elevator. When the sound stopped everything went quiet for a moment

"They're screwed," the woman said

Then the elevators opened and what could only be described as an army of nightmares poured out of the elevators. Werewolves, mutants, aliens, and other nightmarish creatures leaped out at crazy speed, decimating the men even as they began to fire. It was a bloodbath in seconds.

The people in the monitor room could only watch helplessly as the second team of guards that arrived to subdue the creatures was massacred when the elevator doors opened again, unleashing the next batch of horrors.

In the monitor room, there was chaos on every screen. Workers and guards alike in the facility were being slaughtered by whatever creatures were contained there. Screams could be heard from every monitor.

"What have they done!" screamed a worker as he was chased down by a giant wolf like monster.

"Please don't cut!" yelled another worker desperately as he was strapped down to a table by what looks like a plague doctor while another one plague doctor raised a scalpel in front of the camera

"Get away from me!" yelled a guard who was running from what looks like a spider like robot with arms equipped with buzzsaws which was emitting whirring noises as the robot scrambled after it's target

While some of workers in the facility had a horrified look on their faces, Kurokiri and his wife and the rest of them only had looks of indifference.

"The boss will be pissed when he finds out about this," the woman said, "We already lost the outpost on Earth thanks to that dumb Triangle Demon."

"If he finds out about this," Kurokiri responded and then turned to the workers. "Cut the feed," he ordered the same worker from before who immediately obeyed this time by flicking a switch causing the screens to blackout before showing the words "Feed Terminated."

"What's the plan, then Kiri?" the woman asked.

"I'll be personally going there to subdue those creatures, and I'll have 3 assist me," Kurokiri responded.

"Number 3? You're taking him of all people with you?" the woman asked with doubt in her tone

"Yes, he is the most efficient one when it comes to capturing people. Besides, the others are off-world, so we can't call on their help with this matter," Kurokiri said as a black portal started materializing behind him.

"If you insist," the woman said as he watched the armored being stepped into the portal before disappearing with it. She then turned to the workers, "Everyone back to your post. And no one is too speak of this incident to anyone understood!" she ordered

"Yes, Ma'am!" the workers responded.

"Good."

* * *

**Celestial Journal**

**The Gardener- A Celestial who was once renowned as being the greatest chef in the universe. He is said to have his own private dimension where he grows his own ingredient in his garden. The Gardener had also been known for taking in mortal students to teach them his craft with one of them being rumored to be a queen of Mewni. Like the rest of his kind the Gardener had vanished presumably to the Celestial's home dimension or perhaps to his garden ****which none had been able to access, however it is said that before his disappearance The Gardener left a few copies of his cookbook that chefs would die for just to get their hands on it.**

* * *

**Author's note**

***Looks at the end scene* ****Well that escalated quick.****Well I hope this scene gives you a hint on what the group that mysterious figures are part of do.**

**Anyway I would like to apologize for the long wait. I had been getting busy at home lately which would interrupt my writing especially when I'm in the mood which sucks for me. Well I don't have much to say though if you have questions or if you like the story feel free to leave a review and maybe even Favorite an Follow the story.**

**Review Responses**

**Starco4everr- once again thank you for liking this story**

**sonavelkovskaa5842- well I'm glad you liked it. Originally I didn't plan to do this with Brittney but oh well here we are now though expect to see her again in the future. As for Marco's friend it was only natural that they should know about what he truly js. anyway good health to you too**

**OMAC001- Well Marco and his friends will go through many more challenges which they can work through together****...** **hopefully**

**sirleirbag- well hopefully I will be able to do a good job with Brittney's character arc(in the future hint hint) like they did with Pacifica in gravity falls.**

**Masked Freak- well I'm glad you think I did a good job with it. What Marco did was called the Celestial State however it is not his complete form yet like with Star's mewberty form before she unlocked her butterfly form, Marco will gain access to a Celestial form in the future.**

**Tyrik Sombra- it's based on both Ego from MCU guardians of the galaxy and the comic book version Celestial though there has been some change done. I'm glad you like and of course I will keep writing it. As for your suggestion I sent you a PM in order to avoid spoilers for others.**

**Well that's all I have to say for now** **see you next time in my side story Mutants and Magic**

**Rothem Out!**

**Peace!**


	21. Royal Pain

It's early in the morning at the Diaz House, a perfectly normal morning. Well, as normal as it can get in a house inhabited by a magical princess, laser puppies, a baby dinosaur, an all-powerful space god, and a demi-god.

Inside, Marco had just gotten out of bed and was still in his pajamas. His cracks could be seen on his face, but unlike before, they seemed to have diminished a little. Marco used his powers to swap his PJs out for his regular clothes without even looking at himself. It wasn't exactly the most responsible way to use his powers, but it was pretty efficient, so he didn't care.

"Morning, Marco!" he heard Star's voice calling to him from the living room.

"*Yawn* Morning," he replied, before unknowingly stepping into something very wet. Before he could process the damp sensation, Marco found himself moving down what appeared to be a giant water-slide that had replaced the stairs.

Marco's panicked scream quickly turned into excited laughter as he went down the considerably long slide. Given how durable he was, though, he wasn't in any real danger, so it never really mattered to him. After about thirty seconds of adrenaline-filled excitement, he eventually landed in a giant pool that Star had conjured up in the living room.

"Oh man, that was awesome!" He said excitedly to Star, now clad in a turquoise one-piece swimsuit. They weren't the only ones present, though. Just a few feet away from him, he could see Jackie, clad in a seashell-based swimsuit, lazily swimming in the water.

"Hey, Marco. How's it going?" Jackie asked in her normal, casual tone.

"Jackie? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Star asked us if we wanted to come over and have an early morning swim session. Oh, and check out what she did for me!" Jackie then leaped out of the water, revealing that, where her legs should have been, was now a fish-tail!

"Star used her magic to make me a mermaid! Can you believe it? It's like a dream come true!" Jackie practically had stars in her eyes as she said this. One lesser-known about Jackie was that she had always wanted to be a mermaid, hence her preference for seashells and ocean-themed clothing.

"Nice to see that you finally got that off your- wait, we? Who's we?" Marco asked.

"Oh yeah, Janna's here too," Jackie gestured to her other friend, who was sitting on a lawn chair, typing away on her U-Phone. For some reason, she was also wearing this giant, oddly familiar gauntlet on one of her hands.

When Janna spotted Marco, she gave him a small wave with her armored hand before saying, "Sup sleepyhead, how's Gunter?"

"He's... a real handful," Marco said as if unsure with his answer. He got out of the pool and walked over to Janna.

Gunter was the name Marco gave the Ankylosaurus he got a few weeks ago.

At first, he wanted to return it to the Saurian Kingdom Star got it from since the little guy didn't belong to him. Also, there was the fact that people would flip out over the sight of a living dinosaur or just plain freak out.

However, when Star explained that she and Janna found him abandoned in a cave, he felt bad for it, so he decided to keep him as a... house guest. Unfortunately for Marco, while having a pet saurian sounded cool on paper, it was a very tiresome task.

"And you call yourself a god?" she said jokingly.

"Okay, first of all, I'm pretty much only half-god. Secondly, I don't even call myself that and, lastly, I'd like to see you try taking care of a baby dinosaur who has twice the energy and playfulness of all the laser puppies combined heck I'm lucky he's even sleeping right now."

"Eh doesn't sound that hard, hell I have a monster bird as a pet for starters," Janna said casually.

"That's a lie, and you know it." Marco didn't believe one bit that Janna actually had a bird-monster, despite insisting for weeks that she did.

"You want me to prove it to you then?" Janna got up from her lawn chair while putting her phone into her pocket

"Be my guest."

"Alright then, tomorrow, I'll bring him here."

"Wait, why tomorrow?" Marco raised an eyebrow

"He's having a "me" day," Janna answered.

"Riiight" while Marco decided not to question it, there was still doubt in his tone which Janna chose to ignore.

Star then suddenly jumped out of nowhere, landing between the two, startling Marco while Janna didn't even flinch and instead snapped a picture of Marco's startled reaction with her phone.

"I love living here!" Star giggled. "If my parents found out I've been using magic for stuff like this..."

"About that...this was cool, but next time, maybe a little heads-up?"Marco suggested. "Okay? Wet socks are a form of torture in some countries." He gestured to his socks, which were now wet. Marco snapped his fingers, and in an instant, his wet socks were replaced with a dry pair.

"Well, I'm just glad that my parents aren't here to see this," Star said with a smile.

"Yeah, otherwise, you'd be panicking right now," Janna commented from her chair.

Then the doorbell rung earning everyone in the room's attention.

"I'll get it!"Star said happily while running over to the door to answer it. When she opened it, she suddenly shrieked before slamming the door shut, surprising her friends.

"Hey Star, who was that?" Jackie asked while getting out of the pool. Janna and Marco, who was also surprised by her sudden outburst, walks over to Star.

"Yeah, you looked like you saw a ghost," Marco said worriedly while sipping on a drink he had just materialized.

"It's my dad. He's here," Star said in a whisper.

Hearing this, Marco's eyes widen and spat out his drink in shock. "What?!" he yelled in disbelief.

"Wait, Star's dad? as in King of Mewni?" Jackie asked in a curious tone since she knew her other-dimensional friend was a princess.

"Yep, you got that right," Janna answered, though, in her mind, she imagined what Star's dad would be like since he's the king of an entire kingdom.

"I need to hide everything," Star stated before using her wand to immediately turn everything to normal along with Jackie's fish tail. She then zapped her clothes, turning it into a green blouse. When she was about to reach for the door handle, she stopped when Marco spoke up.

"Uh, Star? Aren't you forgetting something" Star heard Marco say before turning around to see him pointing to his face, which still had the cracks on it for everyone to see.

"Oops, sorry, almost forgot about that," Star said while smiling sheepishly. She then pointed her wand at Marco before chanting "Instant Coverup Glitter Bomb!" in a flash of pink light, Marco's cracks had been concealed once again.

Seeing that there was nothing left to hide, Star opened the door once again. This time Marco, Janna, and Jackie saw that on the other side was River Butterfly who was riding the shoulders of one of his royal manservant (who was struggling to carry the king)

"What a pleasant surprise!"Star laughed nervously. "What brings you here unexpectedly?"

"Well, I was in the neighborhood and...agh, who am I kidding?"River sighed. "Your mother has banished me from the castle."

"What did you do?" Star asked with a small frown.

"Nothing! I just left a garment or two laying around." He admitted

"Damn, and I thought my mom was strict," Janna commented from behind.

He entered the house with his manservant following while dragging in his heavy luggage.

"I thought perhaps, I could stay here for a day while this blows over." River said as he entered the house with his manservant following while dragging in his heavy luggage.

All of a sudden, a laser puppy popped out from River's beard. "Huh? Oh, hello—"River said by was cut off when

The laser puppy shot River's eyes with lasers making his beard burst into flames and smokes. "Star, if your mother was here and knew you were using your wand inappropriately, she would send you straight to St. Olga's." River said with a frown making Star's friends give her worried looks. However, River's frown turned into a smile before announcing, "But I'm not your mother! I rather enjoy destructive magical puppies," he said happily.

"This visit is gonna be fun then!"Star said excitedly.

"Father-Daughter Day!"Star and River said in unison.

Star then grabbed her dad by his mustache before dragging him around the house excitedly leaving Marco and the others

"Huh, he's not what I expected," Jackie said, having been surprised with River's attitude.

"That's what I thought when I first met him. So you guys want some breakfast?" Marco offered his friends as they watched Star drag his father upstairs.

"Sure," Janna and Jackie said at the same time. Marco then led them into the kitchen while materializing some sort of book in his hand.

After dragging her dad to the entrance of her room, she opened the door. "Check out my room," she said with some smugness in her tone.

"Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo!"River chuckled at the sight before him

Inside Star's room, various magical creatures were occupying it. Such as living clouds, monkeys, a goblin, a flying snail, a six-legged poodle eating a bag of chips, a bearded gnome, a beanbag monster, a clown, a teddy bear with an eyepatch, and a Flying Pig.

In a small makeshift ring Flying Pig and the eyepatched teddy bear, we're having a pillow fight while the other creatures cheered them on.

"Get him!"

"Get him!"

"Get him!"

"Gut him like a fish!"

"I got twenty bucks on Teddy!"

Upon noticing Star, the creatures stopped what they were doing to greet her with smiles on their faces, "Hi Star!"

"Magnificent!" River said in awe

"If you like this, let me show you the most magical room in the whole house."Star said before again dragging King Butterfly with her, this time towards the bathroom, "The bathroom!" She said happily.

River gasped and approached the toilet.

"What a glorious throne!" River said and sat on the toilet. "Why does it have a hole?"

"Um, humans put things in there and flush em down, "Star explained, remembering Marco's explanation to her a little.

"Flush?"River asked in confusion. "What's a flush?"

He notices a lever on the toilet and then presses it to see what would happen.

River watched in awe as the water swirled down in the bowl. "My word!"River chuckled. "Where does the water go?"

"Nobody knows, "Star replied. "It's one of Earth's greatest mysteries." This wasn't true since Marco explained it to her. The only problem was she wasn't paying attention at the time.

River grabbed the toilet paper "Does this go in it?"He asked with curiosity.

"All the time, "Star replied

River flushes the toilet paper before racing to the other side of the bathroom and returns with a toothbrush, which happened to be Marco's "This?"

"I don't see why not, "Star answered.

River flushes the toothbrush while Star watches with a wide smile.

River held a toilet brush, "This?"

"Go for it!"

Meanwhile, downstairs in the kitchen, Marco and his friends were having breakfast when they heard Star and River's excited voices from upstairs.

"What are they doing up there?" Marco questioned as he handed Janna a plate of bacon and eggs.

"Eh probably Mewman stuff," Janna said as she took the plate being handed to her before taking a bite of the bacon

"By the way, Marco, where's your dad? I haven't seen him all morning," asked Jackie, who was now wearing her regular clothes

"Oh some guy liked one of his paintings and instead of having it mailed my dad decided to deliver it himself though he said he'll be back sometime tomorrow" Marco explained before a crashing sound was heard from upstairs

"Okay seriously, what are they doing up there?" Marco said. He then decided to go upstairs to take a look.

Back in the bathroom. The toilet was now starting to overflow water due to all the stuff River had stuffed into it, with one of them being a Flying pig.

River then held up a bowling bowl while laughing, having no problem with potentially breaking the toilet "This?"

"Do it!" Star encouraged however before River could put the bowling bowl in, there was a knock at the bathroom door followed by Marco's voice

"Uh, Star? Everything okay in there?" Marco asked; however, there was no response from inside. He was about to open the door when suddenly Star and his dad raced out of the bathroom.

"Hey Marco!" Star greeted as she ran past him

"Love the bathroom, by the way, boy!" River said as he ran past him as well

"Thanks? So what's next on the-" Marco felt his socks go wet, causing him to wail, "Oh come on!"

* * *

Marco, Star, and River were now at the Echo Creek miniature golf course. Jackie was unable to come due to her mom calling her to come home while Janna said she had to pick up Oskar from the barbershop due to a bet they made. And that's literally all that she was willing to tell them!

"Marco taught me how to play this. You are absolutely gonna love it" Star handed a golf club to her dad, who immediately started to admire it.

"Ohhh..."

"Okay, so the goal is to knock this ball into that hole," Marco instructed while recalling the time he first took Star here. That caddie guy won't be walking right anytime soon. He involuntary shudders at the memory.

"Haha! What fun! River laughed while holding the golf club by the shaft instead of the grip, which Star noticed.

"Uh, you're holding your club upside-down," she corrected.

"This is a club? There's one thing we got better on Mewni." River said before he took out a grip that grew into a large club with the bludgeoning end shaped like a ram's head.

"What the-?!" Marco started but was cut off by River's battle cry

"Tally-ho!"

King Butterfly hits his golf ball, and it flies into a metal frog statue, destroying it.

"Ah crapbasket," Marco said worriedly while looking at the now broken statue.

"Ha-ha! How's that for getting it into the hole?"He laughed and pointed to a golf hole shaped like a miniature castle. "What's that?"

"That's the Candy Castle, "Star replied. "The next hole."

"Lord Salivary of the Weebler elf clan, you sly dog!"River roared.

"What?"Star and Marco said with clear looks of confusion on their faces which turned to horror when

River suddenly smashes the castle with his club while the other golf course patrons watched in horror.

"Mommy, why is Santa doing that?" a little girl asked her mother nervously.

"Uh, Star?"

"Dad!"Star shouted.

King Butterfly then picked up a tiki torch.

"I'll teach you to give my wife the googly eye!"River said angrily.

"Dad, stop it!" Star yelled, trying to get her dad to stop to no avail.

River hurls the torch into the demolished castle, setting it on fire. The entire golf course soon goes up in flames, causing the civilians to scream and run away in terror.

"Ha-ha! The ball's in your court, Salivary!" River said proudly

"We're so getting banned for this," Marco said as they ran further away from the ruined golf course.

**Later that night**

Star can be seen sleeping in her bed while holding what looks like a pair of underwear. All of a sudden she woke up and saw the underwear in her hands, causing her to scream and fall out of her bed

"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!"She shrieked in disgust as she threw away the dirty underwear

Star looks around her room only to find dirty clothes that were littered all over her bedroom. One of the shirts fell onto the floor with a splat.

"Ewww...what was that?"Star said with a disgusted look on her face.

The blonde-haired girl used her wand to illuminate the room. Magical creatures were running in fear from a giant mound of dirty clothes.

Star entered the mound of clothes only to find her father and Kevin the clown roughhousing while other magical creatures watched.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

"Hello, darling!"River greeted as he continues to fight with the clown

"It's the middle of the night," Star said. She was starting to get annoyed with her father's antic

"Ah, the perfect time for a tussle."River replied. "Isn't that right, Clowney?"

"The name is Kevin, old man!" the clown snapped.

River tossed Kevin into the wall who fell to the floor with a squeak.

"Give it up, clown!"River said

"Bring the pain!"Kevin retorted

As the two grappled, River caught Kevin in an arm lock making the clown cry out in pain.

"I can do this all night!" River chuckled.

"Chicky-wink" Kevin groaned.

Star could do nothing but facepalm in annoyance.

**The next morning.**

In the kitchen. Marco was eating a bowl of cereal while the Ankylosaurus Gunter was happily drinking from a bowl of milk Marco had prepared.

When a disheveled Star entered the room, Marco greeted her "Morning Star"

"Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba..." the tired girl said groggily

"It was ridiculously loud last night" He shot Gunter a quick glance "Louder than usual" he added.

"It wasn't me, Oskar! It was my dad!"Star said and stood up. "He's insane! He just thinks he can come down to Earth and do whatever he wants! He is so inconsiderate!"

"Huh, I can weirdly relate,"Marco said with a bit of sarcasm in his tone

"What do you mean?"Star asked.

"Doesn't that sound familiar, hmm?"Marco said

"Yeah...He does this to my mom!" Star said in realization, but from Marco's face, it wasn't the realization he was hoping for.

"Never mind." he took another bite of cereal.

"Well, I'm just glad he's leaving today, "Star admitted. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Marco then stood up and went up to a window.

"You may want to check that, Star."

Outside River was swinging on Christmas lights like a tree vine until he crashed into a nearby window.

"Hello, sweetie, "River greeted his daughter.

"Dad, what are you doing?"Star questioned

"I'm hanging lights for the party."River replied.

"What party?"Star questioned

"Oh, jeez! I forgot to tell you."River said. "I'm having such a great time here; I've decided to stay! Isn't that great?"

"Greeeeeat, "Star whispered sarcastically though his dad wasn't able to notice

"Oh, and in celebration of moving here, I've invited some friends to check out my new digs."

"Wait, what?" Marco nearly spat out his cereal at what River just said but before he could question him about it the doorbell rung

"They're here!"River said happily while running towards the door to answer it.

Before either, Star or Marco knew it the house was now filled with various creatures from other dimensions, and judging from their attires, they were royalty from the looks of it.

A man in a toga and a blue squirrel in a crown held a frog-like creature upside-down as the creature eats a cake while the one who was holding the frog chanted. "Chew, chew, chew, chew, chew!"

Another creature with a long beard draws on another creature's face with a green marker as a cloud creature laughed. "Don't wake him up, man!" the bearded creature said.

Star, who was getting annoyed with her dad, walked up to River, who was talking with King Ponyhead.

"Dad, we need to talk to you right now, "Star said, but before she could say any more, a rather annoying voice was heard.

"Hey, guys!"

Everyone turned to see what looked like a floating sun with a face outside the front door. "Well, here I am! Yeah!" He laughed. "Now the party can start, ooh, tight squeeze."

The sun creature broke through the door opening to enter the house much to Marco's horror.

"My bad." He apologized, but his voice did not even sound a tiny bit sympathetic, which annoyed Marco.

"Who the heck is that?" Star questioned River who once again ignored him

"Oh, no! Who invited Helios?!" River said with a frown."That guy is the worst!"

"Gross!"King Pony Head scoffed. "Now he got his ear pierced? I thought that guy was supposed to be in jail!"

"There he goes, eating all the appetizers."River said as he watched Helios inhale all the food on a snack table.

"He ruins every party and is completely oblivious about it!" River complained.

"Funny, " Star responded. "I can weirdly relate."

"Look, people are already going into orbit around him!"

Dozens of party guests float uncontrollably around Helios.

A short elf creature was being drawn toward him. "No, no, no! Please, somebody!" the elf creature cried out. "His gravitational pull is—!" fortunately before the elf creature could be pulled further, he was suddenly grabbed by Gunter who was somehow unaffected by the gravitational pull.

"Oh my, I owe you my life good sir," the elf creature said to Gunter who tilted his head in confusion before licking the elf's face.

"So why don't you just kick him out? Along with everyone else?" Star said

"Exactly that way the house won't be crowded, " Marco added.

"No way."River answered. "I'm not talking to that tool."

"UGH!"Star groaned in annoyance.

Marco then spotted two small bunny creatures playing with water balloons. "Oh, hey, guys," Marco said as he approached the two "Are those water balloo—"

The water balloons splashed near Marco's feet.

"Whoa!" Marco jumped back, narrowly avoiding the balloons.

A fish-like creature with an elephant-like trunk walked by with a punch bowl, spilling it everywhere. "Punch! Punch!" the fish creature chanted

"No, no, no, no, no,"Marco shouted trying to desperately avoid getting his socks wet again "Whoa!"

Marco ran only to inadvertently step into a creature made of water. "Your feet are so soft." the water creature said gleefully

" *Inhale* *Exhale* Okay, Marco just calm down. It's just wet socks nothing to get you to mind worked up over," Marco said in an effort not to get irritated or worse angry.

"Whoo! Everybody, dancing really sure works up my appe— Ooh, dessert!" Helios inhales all the sweets from another snack table.

"Excuse me, I think you've overstayed your welcome and you gotta go." Star said to the living sun.

"Well, you want to know something? I may be filled with hydrogen, but you're filled with "annoy-ogen"!"Helios laughed. "You just got burned by the sun!"

As Helios talked, Star briefly gets caught in his gravitational pull but Marco quickly helps her up.

"Man that guy's a jerk" Marco glared at Helios. He thought of whether it would be worth it to try turning the guy into a golf ball or perhaps an orange or-

**_Or you could erase him _**

Marco's eyes widened at the disturbing thought he just had _Where the heck did that come from? _But before he could question it even more, Star spoke up which pulled him out of his thoughts

"Marco, I am so sorry that every time I tried to have some fun, I ended up soaking your socks."Star said with regret in her tone.

"Look, I love all the fun things you want to do. Just a little heads-up would be nice. There's really nothing worse than wet socks."

"Oh yeah...oh, yeah!"Star chuckled as an idea came to her. "Nothing worse than wet socks!"

"I'm still hungry, but there's no more food." Helios laughed and grew more prominent. "I guess I'll just have to eat the whole planet!"

The party guests gasped in shock at what Helios said when suddenly Star and Marco appeared over the party riding on a pink cloud.

"It's time to purge this party!"Star announced with a wide grin on her face

Star then used her magic to turn the house into a giant water slide again, flooding the living room with water and soaking every party guest there is.

The party guests collectively groaned, seeing that their socks were now completely soaked, something that Marco couldn't help but laugh at.

"Hey, two pairs of wet socks!" a four-legged creature complained before pulling out his dimensional scissor to open a portal. One by one, everyone started leaving via a portal.

"Because I'm ridiculously apathetic to the suffering of others, I'm leaving too."King Pony Head said and left through a dimensional portal as well.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen!"River protested and looked at the living room mess. "Wow...I really made a mess of things."

River picked up Helios, who has been reduced to a small golf ball-sized pebble.

"There's no way I'm pooping out at this party!"Helios said before sneezing.

Star and Marco sits down on the couch. Marco wrings the water out of his socks as River walked up to them.

"Um, sweetheart, I perhaps got a little carried away." River said sadly and sat on the couch with them. "And I may have been a little inconsiderate. I guess that's why your mother threw me out in the first place. I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Dad," Star assured kindly. "Just don't get too carried away."

River and Star then hugged each other. "Hugs!"They happily said in unison.

"What are you gonna do with Helios?"Marco pointed at the pebble in River's hand

"Ooh, after party!"Helios said excitedly. "Where we gonna go?"

"I have no idea, but I'll give you a ride!"River responded and took out his ram's-head club. "Ha-ha! Tally-ho!"

The King of Mewni struck Helios like a golf ball, who goes flying through a dimensional portal.

"Hole in one!"River laughed and looked at the three teenagers. "I'll send my top servant here to make everything better than new."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Mr. Butterfly. My dad and I can take care of this" Marco said

"Well, if that's the case, farewell" He opened a dimensional portal to Mewni and jumped through it.

"Bye. Dad!"Star said.

"Bye!" Marco said

"Whew."Star sighed. "From now on, I'll always give you a heads-up."

"Thanks, "Marco replied. "But a surprise is good every once in a while, wouldn't you agree?"

Marco then shoved Star into the water before jumping into the water with her. They resurfaced on the backs of dolphins and began playing in the water. Gunter also joined in by jumping in the water.

Star and Marco burst out laughing as they rode on the dolphins until they heard a very familiar voice from the door.

"Kids?"

Marco turned to see that it was none other than his dad, who had just gotten back. Rafael looked at the broken door then at the pool that Marco and Star were in now before smiling.

"So... wanna tell me what happened?"

* * *

**Meanwhile at the Ordonia Household**

Meanwhile at the Ordonia Household

Janna was in her room reading a book about Witches and Hexes when her phone started ringing.

"Hello?" Janna said as she answered her phone.

"Oh hey Marco. Where am I? I'm at home why? Ah crap that was today? Yeah I don't think I'll be able to make it, so bye"

Janna ended the call even though Marco could still be heard saying something from the other end.

Suddenly there was a knock at her door.

"Who is it?" Janna questioned

"It's me" answered a voice with a Scottish accent from the other side.

"Come in" Janna said as she put away her book. The door to her room opens before a person who looks exactly like Janna walked in. The only difference was that this new Janna was wearing the conductor outfit that Janna had worn to Brittney's party.

"So Al, how was the outing with my parents?" Janna greeted casually not the least bit bothered that an exact copy of her was now standing in front of her.

"Well lassie your dad's a slob and your mom needs anger management, other than that they're fine" the double now known as Al answered with a guy's voice in a Scottish accent.

"Scottish accent eh?. So will you be using my form for now then?" Janna asked her doppelganger

"Don't need to lassie I have many forms at my disposal that I could use, but for now I'll be sticking with my bird form" Al said before his form began to change. He started growing orange-yellowish feathers all over his body while he began to shrink until he was now only a foot shorter than Janna. While his head lost all of it's facial features with his eyes no longer being visible other than the jagged toothy beak it had grown. All the while his clothes were untouched other than it adapting to his new height.

"What do you think?" Al said as he showed off his new form to Janna.

"Wicked" Janna said as she snaps a picture of the anthropomorphic bird in front of her.

* * *

**Author's Notes:****Here you go the latest update to the Celestial Story. So this chapter is a bit of a filler like the previous one but unlike the previous chapter there wasn't any massacre at the end which by the way I knew I should have a put a warning on(sorry Masked Freak). Also a familiar character returns! Let me know what you think of the chapter in the reviews and feel free to follow and favorite.**

**Review Responses!**

**Bonzenz- I'm glad you spotted the reference though I don't know what torino is.**

**Starco4everr- thank you as always**

**OMAC001- Yes I really should have put a warning before it. As for Star being banned that's only one of the things she did to get banned hehe.**

**The Wandering Hippie- it's been a while since we last talked but anyway I'm both honored and surprised you left a review. The last scene was definitely a reference to cabin in the wood. As for what the group's alignment is that's where it's a bit complicated so I will do my best to answer without spoiling too much. They're job is to contain certain dangerous creatures from across the universe which should make them good for what they do however they are more along the gray area of good and evil but the best way I can describe them is that"They are cold not cruel"**

**Masked Freak- oh boy first of all I would like to greatly apologize for accidentally triggering your PTSD(i wasn't sure if you were joking or not but still) I knew I should have put a warning on it which makes me glad I didn't go through with the original scene which were more graphic. As for Nachos I originally considered her early introduction but decided against it for reasons. The group here is officially called The SCP foundation however they are only based on the real one so they won't be exactly the same such as the creatures they have contained along with their organization in general like having thousands of outposts across the universe. Though I'm glad you were still able to enjoy the other parts of the chapter.**

**wildbeast1498- thank you so much**

**Tyrik Sombra- yes it is. Sorry I won't be adding characters from the Hazbin Hotel but thanks for the suggestion though. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too.**

**See you on the next update of whatever Story I would update next.**

**Rothem Out!**

**Peace!**


	22. Fortune Cookies Part 1

**Hi it's me ROTHEM here to finally bring you the latest update for the Celestial story yay. So I know it's been a while. I apologize for that, I went through some serious writers block for this story coupled by real life problems in the form of online class. So in order to get rid of the block I did the only way I know how...by updating my other stories. But seriously though I took advantage of the writer's block to finalize some of my plans for this story like the villains and certain events etc. If you were to check the last scenes in chapter 15 and 19 you may notice that something is missing(due to it being removed) or changed unless my app decided to act up again and not update the changes done.****Now without further ado let's get on to the story. Heads up it's significantly shorter compared to my previous chapters but mostly because the rest has been moved to part 2.**

**Also a certain lizard finally makes his appearance in this story.**

* * *

**SCP Outpost 601, Dimension K-87T1**

"Last chance, traitor. Tell us where you sent SCP 682, and maybe I'll give you a painless death as a reward," a demonic voice said.

"I-I swear to the emperor I don't know!" a terrified voice answered.

Inside a dimly lit room were three people. The first one was Kurokiri, who was leaning on the wall next to a heavy metallic door. He had his arms crossed while his helmet had a scowl on it.

The second one looked like a skeleton wearing a furry, tattered hoodie and a white shirt stained with blood. It wore sneakers and had a large hole on the left side of their skull, and in their left eye socket, they looked like a red-colored eyeball. The skeletal being was currently sharpening what looked like an oversized meat cleaver the size of a short sword in front of the third individual, a badly beaten and bloodied facility guard on the floor who was also visibly shaking in a mixture of pain and fear.

"I must admit," the skeleton began to say, "Not many people could last so long against my- oh wait" The skeleton looked at Kurokiri. "Hey, Kiri, how-"

"1 minute since you started, Karma," Kurokiri answered before the skeleton could even finish their question.

The skeleton called Karma smirked before turning to the guard as they struggled to get up from the floor. "I take back what I said about you then," the skeleton said to the terrified guard with a casual shrug.

"Please let me go. I honestly had nothing to do with 682's escape," the soldier pleaded to his skeletal tormentor, who only smiled wickedly in response.

"Hmm. What do you think, Kiri? Should we let this spineless traitor go?" Karma asked in a mocking tone

With a sigh, Kurokiri slowly approached the traitorous guard. "Look at me," he said in a commanding tone to the guard, who was now in a kneeling position but had their gaze focused on the floor.

The guard then reluctantly looked up and nearly cringed when he saw the cold and calculating look Kurokiri was giving him.

"I'll ask you the question one last time. If you answer correctly you will be spared if not you will still be spared but will face serious **consequences** that will make you wish you were dead. Now where... is... 682?"

"I do not-"

Before the guard could even finish, the armored being suddenly delivered a powerful kick, which sent the guard slamming into the wall, followed by an audible snap as the guard dropped to the floor.

"Welp, he's dead," Karma casually said as he inspected the dead guard's body to make sure he was indeed dead. "What do we do with his friends?"

"Send them to the Blind Eye Society for rehabilitation. Executing them would bring too much attention," Kurokiri said in a dismissive tone as he made his towards the door.

"Incoming call from Wyn" said a mechanical voice. Kurokiri pulled out a mirror phone and saw that it was his wife calling. He took a deep breath to calm himself before answering it.

**0000000000000**

**Echo Creek, Earth**

"Hi-yah!" Marco yelled as he lands a karate chop on a warthog monster's head, which instantly knocks them out.

Marco and Star were once again engaged in their daily brawl with Ludo and his goons at the Diaz's backyard early in the morning.

"How are you idiots losing?! You have 200 pounds on those brats!" the diminutive bird monster Ludo barked, seeing that his minions were losing. Unlike before, though, where they would at least put up a fight, this time they were so badly that their boss felt like he was going to blow a fuse in sheer anger

Ludo scowled as he watched the karate boy somehow effortlessly head-lock the much larger Emmit. How can a mere human even pull off something like that?

Meanwhile, Bearicorn was cowering behind the Princess brat as she threw a punch at Three-eyed Potato Baby. Then, like a domino, he fell on top of Beard Deer, who, in turn, fell atop Buff Frog

Ludo facepalmed at the bear monster's cowardice and stupidity. "At least hit her with a rock or something, you cowardly idiot!" Ludo yelled angrily at Bearicorn.

Bearicorn then got a look of determination before roaring, which alerted Star, but before she could react, the bear monster picked up a pebble and throws it at her face. Unfortunately, she didn't budge and only gave the bear monster an unimpressed look before blasting him away with the Wand.

Ludo could only facepalm at this as he continued to watch the rest of the fight(more like a one-sided beat down) unfold.

Marco released Emmitt from his headlock before performing a butterfly kick, taking out the minotaur monster along with Big Chicken, who was unlucky enough to be standing right behind him.

The young Hybrid then looked behind him just in time to see his Mewman friend jump over a two-headed monster and land on a cactus. "Off the cactus, over the tree! Nothin' but net!" Star said before firing a Crystal Dagger Heart Attack, which ricocheted off a cactus and into the back of the giraffe monster's neck.

"Told you I could do it," Star said proudly to her bestie.

Marco smiled at her before pulling out a dollar, but before he could hand it over, he saw the monsters all lined up and is charging towards them with Buff Frog in the lead.

"Looks like they're lining up," Star said with an amused smile.

"Well, they're excited," Marco said simply before running towards Buff Frog and kicking him in the chin, knocking him backward into the other monsters, and they fall like dominoes. The last monster, the Three-eyed potato baby, falls onto Ludo, who screams in pain at being crushed.

"Gah!!!"

"After a victory like this, there's only one thing to do. You thinking what I'm thinking, Star?" Marco asked with a smile.

"You know it, wild man" Star smiled back.

"Chinese food!" the two teenagers announced at the same time before walking away, leaving Ludo and his goons. Ludo looked like he was about to explode in anger any second now.

**0000000000000**

**Castle Avarius, Mewni**

Buff Frog had worked for Ludo for as long as he could remember having been taken in by the latter from the swamp he used to live in when he was just a tadpole (something he would eternally be grateful to him for). Which is why he was more than familiar whenever his boss would get irritated with him and his colleagues more so than usual, especially after once again losing to the princess Star Butterfly and her human friend Karate Boy or was it Marco Diaz? He honestly can't remember the boy's name.

"You guys are USELESS!!!!" Buff Frog hears Ludo yell harshly at them. He almost flinched at his master's loud voice as he continues to listen to him rant about how stupid and useless he and his colleagues are.

"Looks like master Ludo is mad at us again" Buff Frog heard his good friend Beard Deer who was sitting next to him on the couch, speak to him.

Buff Frog had met Beard Deer around the same time he started working for Ludo. The Deer Mantaken in from the streets. So it was no surprise that Buff Frog became good friends with Beard Deer due to their similar previous situations.

"Dah, Master Ludo is angry we failed to get the wand from Butterfly Princess again," Buff Frog said to his friend. "I think Master Ludo is unfair" he didn't mean to say the last part out loud, but luckily only Beard Deer heard it.

"Woah, don't let Master Ludo hear you say that. I wouldn't want you getting in trouble now" Beard Deer paused for a bit before adding, "But yeah, I do agree with you on that one Buff Frog. I mean, it's not our fault that the princess can use the wand well to beat us up."

"And Karate Boy too. While I do not like him, you must admit that he does fight well for a human," Buff Frog says, which Beard Deer nods in agreement with. He rubbed his bruised chin as he recalled how the boy has repeatedly defeated him and his colleagues with ease in the past few weeks and what made it more impressive was that the boy was supposedly still in his teenage years. He can't help but imagine how strong the Karate Boy would become once they get older.

Buff Frog was pulled from his thought when he heard Ludo yell at Bearicorn to change the vending machine. He then hears his deer friend speak up again.

"Have you ever thought of looking for another job, Buff Frog?" The Deer monster says offhandedly

Looking for another job? Buff Frog has never once considered the idea of leaving Ludo's army to work somewhere else(unless by some miracle he gets kids, then he'd have to find honest work). But still, he has nothing but utmost loyalty and gratitude to his master for taking him in. He knew Beard Deer was just loyal and grateful, so he asked whether he looked for another job honestly surprised him.

"What do you mean?" The frogman raised a brow at the unexpected question.

"Well, I-" Beard Deer began to say but stopped when he saw Ludo approach him and Buff From

"You two!" the bird monster suddenly yelled at the two monsters, which involuntary flinched before immediately getting up and doing a salute by raising both of their fists. "Yes, Boss?" they asked at the same time.

"Since you two are pretty much the most competent ones in my army. You'll be helping me with hiring someone to wrangle the rest of my pathetic army into shape, got it?" Ludo said

"Uh, sure thing, boss?" Buff Frog said as if he was unsure of his answer. He was going to ask what Beard Deer would say but saw that the deer monster had gotten up and was walking towards the bathroom.

Oh well. He could always ask him later.

**0000000000000**

**Back on Earth**

"Gunter, no! Leave that mailman alone!" Marco scolded the playful ankylosaurus barked at a mailman who had climbed up a tree to escape, said dino- er Saurian. Luckily after Gunter heard him calling, the armored lizard immediately left the mailman alone and ran to him with their tail wagging excitedly. Marco couldn't help but sigh in annoyance.

"Sorry about that, Mr. Brown!" Marco said to the mailman, who has climbed down after seeing the threat has left.

"It's ok,kid!" the mailman said before walking away as if nothing happened, although there was a hole on the back of his pants revealing his dino boxers(ironic), which he failed to notice.

"Star, tell me again why we had to bring Gunter along?" Marco asks his princess bestie, who was now cooing and petting Gunter happily.

"Well, Janna told me that dogs needed to be taken out on walks," Star simply explained as she fixes the armored lizard's collar, which had gotten a bit loose. Marco didn't bother putting a leash on Gunter since the baby dino is mostly friendly and doesn't leave his side whenever they go out on walks.

"You do know Gunter is a Saurian and not a dog, right?" he questioned while raising a brow at Star. It wouldn't be the first time Star mistook another animal for something else due to her originating from another dimension. He briefly remembers when Star kept mistaking a raccoon for a rabbit and, as a result, wanted to bring it home so badly. Luckily Star forgot about it the following week.

"Of course I do, Marco, but look at him. He's so adorable! He's like one of those laser puppies!" Star explained before gesturing to Gunter's cute face.

"Can't argue with that; Gunter even acts like them too. Also, aren't Saurians supposed to be able to talk? The last time Gunter spoke was about a week ago, and all he said so far were along the lines of 'Daddy, dada, and papa'," he said while recalling how he had to order a book on Saurians straight from the same dimension Gunter came from. Conveniently, the dimension had a delivery guy-er dino, a Pterodactyl wearing a mailman outfit, which honestly didn't freak him out when said delivery dino came to his house the next day to deliver his package.

Eh, I've seen weirder things, Marco thought before hearing Star speak again.

"Aww, how sweet," Star cooed at the mention of Marco being seen as a father by Gunter. "I wouldn't worry about him not talking much yet, though. I mean, isn't Gunter still a baby?" she asked.

"Well yeah, but according to a book I read about Saurians is that they age a lot faster than normal. For example, one month for humans is a few years for them depending on the saurian in question," the young Hybrid explained.

Star was about to say something but got cut off by a familiar voice.

"Hey, Marco" Marco heard Janna's voice as he felt someone(most likely her) tapping on his shoulder. With a sigh, he turns around only to walk right into a mug in the shape of a butt.

"Aw, sick; Marco just touched this butt with his face!" he hears Janna say jokingly while bringing the butt mug closer to his face.

"What the heck, Janna!" Marco made a disgusted face as he slaps the mug away, which earned him an amused smirk from his childhood friend.

"Oh, hi, Janna! What are you doing here?" Star greeted her beanie-wearing friend happily while ignoring the look of disgust Marco was giving the butt-shaped mug.

"I was on my way to the Chinese restaurant," Janna explained to him before taking a sip from the mug, which had something in it.

"Wait, really?! What a coincidence, me and Marco were on our way there too!" Star said. She then got an idea, "Why don't we all go together?"

"Eh, Why not? Though I have to ask safe kid here first," Janna smiled mischievously. "What do you say, safe kid?" She asked while once again bringing the butt mug close to Marco's face

"Knock it off!" Marco slaps the butt mug away again in disgust. "Where did you even get that thing?" he questioned

"I got it from that mug stand over there," Janna pointed at a stand called 'Mug R Us.' Marco noticed that there was a sign with the words '50% off Butt Mugs', much to his disbelief.

"You know what? Let's just go. And please keep that mug away from me" he gave Janna a warning look just in case she tried to touch him with the mug again.

"I can work with that," the beanie-wearing girl said.

"Alright! Chinese food here we come!" Star said as she pumps her fist excitedly.

**0000000000000**

**Back at Ludo's castle**

Buff Frog was used to seeing colleagues come and go. He couldn't blame them, especially with the amount of beatings they would take from the Princess and her human bodyguard, accompanied by his master's rather harsh attitude every time they lost. It's only natural that some of those monsters would quit finding better jobs.

Every time this happened, his master would simply hire new monsters to join his army; however, this was the first time Ludo was hiring someone to train them rather than fight with them. That's why he was currently in the castle waiting room in front of Ludo's office, standing guard and supervising applicants when it's their turn to enter.

"Next!" he heard Ludo say from his office.

Buff Frog signals for the next applicant, a six-eyed four-armed monster is wearing a greasy shirt, entering. Not even a minute pass when the same monster came out crying.

Buff Frog shook his head in dissatisfaction. He then heard Ludo call for the next applicant, who he signals to enter and, like before, came out crying. This went on for a while again and again. Applicants would come in only to come out crying, angry, or disappointed. Buff Frog did a double-take when he saw what he thought was a female version of Ludo, but like the other applicants, she was rejected and came out crying. The frogman was almost tempted to comfort her but was too disturbed by her appearance to do so. (mostly due to how identical she looked like Ludo)

Seeing that there were no more applicants, Buff Frog decided to enter Ludo's office to see how the latter was doing, especially after not a single decent applicant showed up.

As soon as he walked in, he saw a very frustrated Ludo rubbing their temples. "These idiots are even dumber than you idiots!" Ludo yelled.

Buff Frog was going to speak when he heard the door open. He didn't have time to turn when someone walked past him and took the seat in front of Ludo.

The frogman narrows his eyes in suspicion at the new arrival as he immediately walks over to Ludo's side, both to ensure Ludo's safety(just in case the new guy tries anything funny) and so that he can get a better look at them.

He gave his friend Beard Deer, who was also standing next to Ludo, a glance and saw that the deer monster was also suspicious of the newcomer.

The newcomer was wearing a fancy business suit. They looked like some sort of lizard ma-. Buff Frog's eyes widened in realization when he recognized what kind of monster they were.

It was impossible, though. The Septarians were supposed to be extinct; The Great Purge made sure of it. Yet here is one sitting right in front of him alive and breathing and wearing a fancy business suit.

"West Mewnian swamp water. Or do you drink from the bottle?" Buff Frog heard the stranger spoke while offering his master a glass of swamp water with an eyeball in it.

"On days like this..." Ludo chugged down the glass. He hasn't yet taken notice of the stranger.

"Tell me about it," the stranger said, and Buff Frog was becoming worried for his master.

"Oh, I'll tell you..." Ludo took another sip. "I've been trying to steal a Wand from a teenager. It's harder than it ought to be" Ludo stopped talking when he finally took notice of the stranger. "Wait for a second!"

"Where did you come from?" Ludo questioned.

"I let myself in," the stranger answered.

"When?"

"After you hired me."

"I hired you?"

"I accept."

Ludo processes what just happened for a few seconds "...Excellent!" he shouted in joy before offering the recently hired stranger. Although Buff Frog and Beard Deer seemed confused by what just happened

"We'll start tomorrow. Get some rest," the stranger then placed a black card on the table before getting up to leave.

"Uhhh... did anybody catch his name?" Ludo asked before he and his two bodyguards noticed the black card the stranger left had the word Toffee on it.

"Toffee. I guess his name is Toffee!"

* * *

**Dun Dun Dun! Toffee finally makes his debut! What do you think? I don't have much to say anymore other than sorry again for the short chapter since you're probably expecting to be long since I didn't update it for so long.**

**Well most of the original scenes for this chapter was moved to part 2. So if you have any questions feel free to ask me anytime either in review or pms.**

**Review Responses.**

**Starco4everr- thank you again!**

**Tyrik Sombra- It's Janna what do you expect? Luckily it's not the real deal otherwise they would all be doomed LoL. As for the shapeshifter, Janna has much more use for him so better watch out if someone is not acting like their usual selves hehehe.**

**OMAC001- I'm glad you like him. I managed to finalize my plans for his backstory and role in the story during my block but I won't be spoiling it so you'll have to wait for it's reveal in the future.**

**Bonzenz- I'll check it out when I can although I have a hard time accessing manga due to the usual one's I use shutting down.**

**Masked Freak- of course I care! As for the voice Marco heard, let's just say that it will be very important in the story. My plans for the shapeshifter? It's a secret for now but here's a hint. He has connections to some certain people that will make him important as well.**

**ukairoenyinnay- yes it is. as for whether I'll be making a crossover or sequel? Maybe. I have a habit of coming up with ideas at random times and one of them is a chapter where characters from gravity falls appear so it will be like a temporary crossover. that's all I have to say about that.**

**Before I go a few thanks to some people. thanks to The Wandering Hippie for givng me advice for my ideas. Thanks to Tyrik Sombra for helping me with discussing some of the ideas as well. Thanks to Lord of the Storm for helping me with the chapter as well. thanks again to RJWritingInk for editing this chapter. Thanks to Hate Eater for his constructive criticism.**

**Rothem Out! Peace!**


End file.
